Second Chance
by Vermilion Skye
Summary: He was suddenly brought back to reality as if someone had splashed a bucket of ice water on his face. He stood up abruptly frantically searching the crowd of faces for his love. Eventually he came to a horrifying conclusion. Mavis was gone and whoever took her was going to feel his wrath. WARNING SPOILERS!
1. Prologue

His mind began to wander. Had it really already been seven years? He watched the beautiful blonde dance happily through the field of flowers. Her eyes sparkled like sunlight reflecting off sea glass. He smiled despite himself shaking off the terrible memory. The girl ceased her frolicking and ran to his side.

"What are you smiling about," she asked?

The wind blew her hair over her face. Her smile burned away that little bit of darkness that always seemed to be with him.

"How could one not smile when faced with such beauty?"

The girls face suddenly burned scarlet and she averted her eyes. She giggled and let out a small sigh.

"You really know how to catch a girl off guard, Zeref." He smiled.

"The day I stop doing that is the day I die."

Mavis suddenly became bubbly and cuddled up to Zeref, laying her head on his chest. Her smile became whimsical.

"It still feels like a dream, ya know?"

Zeref smiled and turned his gaze to the sky.

"I know what you mean." "Ive felt the same since the day we defeated Ankhseram and broke the curse." "It's still hard to believe but here you are in front of me as a grown woman, and you are so beautiful."

The blushing came back with a vengeance and Mavis struggled to hide her face.

"Thanks to you and Fairy Tail I am given a second chance at life with you and also with my little brother."

"Speaking of Natsu!" "Where has he been?" "I haven't heard any complaints about important buildings or statues being blown up."

Mavis finished her sentence with a giggle but changed her tone when she saw the worried expression on Zeref's face.

"What's wrong?"

Zeref hesitated for a moment. Mavis was not going to let up and he knew it but he also didn't want to burden her with his paranoid thoughts on the matter. Natsu had actually been missing for weeks. No one in the guild knew where he had gone. Even Lucy was clueless as to his whereabouts. The master had assured him that Natsu was on a special mission for her but he couldn't shake the thought that something was wrong.

Mavis turned in his arms so they were face to face. Her worried expression quickly tore down his defenses until he decided to voice his thoughts. Mavis' little fingers interlocked with his. He expected her to laugh and tell him he was silly for worrying so much but it was just the opposite. She sat up and laid her hand over his.

"He is your little brother Zeref." "It is only natural for you to worry about him." "If you were feeling this way then why didn't you tell me?" "Don't you trust me?"  
Zeref quickly corrected that little misunderstanding with a swift kiss and loving embrace. When their lips touch it was like everything else disappeared. All of the doubt, fear, and worry lifted in that single act.

Zeref sensed the danger seconds before but it was too late. They were engulfed in a blinding light. He held Mavis as tight as he could. Her body tensed before going completely limp. His own body was quickly following suit.

"This feeling…"

He had felt it before but he couldn't place where. The sensation was foreign yet somehow familiar. He wasn't able to make the connection before he completely lost consciousness.

Zeref awoke under the same oak. He was surrounded by the worried faces of Fairy Tail wizards. Their voices were still distant like he was floating through a soundless sky. When his mind finally started to focus he could make out a few words.

Okay…

What happened…

Mavis…

He was suddenly brought back to reality as if someone had splashed a bucket of ice water on his face. He stood up abruptly frantically searching the crowd of faces for his love. Eventually he came to a horrifying conclusion. Mavis was gone and whoever took her was going to feel his wrath.


	2. Captive

Her eyes fluttered. It was dark all around her except for a stream of light that shone through a crack in what looked to be the exit. She stood up…or at least she tried to but she was immediately pulled back down by cold iron.

"What on…?"

Her memories slowly flooded back. Her heartbeat raced as she recalled what had happened.

We were hit by "Law"?

She didn't feel any different aside from a nauseating migraine. Her head was still spinning and she tried to lay down. She closed her eyes hoping the pain would go away but another thought made her sit straight up.

"Oh no! What happened to Zeref?" A loud click of someone releasing some kind of mechanism from the door had her on high alert. She took a deep breath and prepared herself for whatever was on the other side of that door. The final click echoed throughout the room and the metal ground against the floor as it opened. That seriously didn't helped her migraine. She winced at the mix of the sound and the bright light glaring through the open doorway. She squinted to get some semblance of an idea of who the shadow standing in the doorway was.

"Mavis Vermillion, I must say it is an honor to finally meet you."

Her eyes were still adjusting to the light but she could almost make out a face. She straightened up and leaned her back against the wall.

"Wish I could say the same." "Whom do I have the pleasure of speaking with?"

"Oh yes, my apologies."

The door shut behind him shrouding the place in complete darkness. Mavis felt her heart begin to race once again. She was getting annoyed but she knew she had to stay clear headed. She wasn't called the Fairy Tactician for nothing and given time her captors were gonna find that out the hard way. She saw a small flash of light and suddenly the room lit up. Fire spread in a perfect line along the walls. She finally got a good look at the man. He had snow white hair and piercing orange eyes. His muscular arms bulged from his black leather zip-up vest. They weren't outrageously big but the man was definitely toned well. A silver chain hung from his neck sporting a shrunken silver dagger encrusted with a fire opal jewel. He stepped forward and Mavis recoiled slightly in response.

"I will not harm you." "I have not been instructed to do so."

"What do you want?" "What have you done with Zeref?"

Mavis saw his eyes shimmer briefly at the mention of her lover. It quickly disappeared and he was back to being nothing but polite.

"Our master will explain once he arrives." "It shouldn't be much longer." "He was just taking care of some last minute adjustments."

She was just about to ask him to elaborate on what he meant by "adjustments" when the door mechanism clicked again. She wondered who would greet her this time. The door opened slowly and a tall figure walked in. Mavis almost couldn't breathe when she saw the man standing before her. His dark hair flowed wildly around his head covering his face slightly. He wore black from head to toe and an overcoat open with no shirt underneath revealing the guild mark underneath.

"Gray Fullbuster…" The name left her lips in a breathy exasperated gasp.

"Hey…First"

I think this is a good point to leave off. The first chapter was a bit short so I thought I would give ya'll a little more. Please let me know what you think and tell me if you think my chapters should be longer. Thanks!


	3. Devil's Ice

_**This next chapter will be significantly longer. Time to shed a little light on the mystery of Mavis' abduction. Their will be quite a few OCs in this story from here on but they follow a specific theme. Try to guess if you can. Well enough of my spiel. Here we go!**_

She watched in disbelief as her old friend entered the already over-crowded cell. Struggling to find the words, the young blonde could do nothing but stare.

"I imagine this is a lot to process right now." "Ill start by introducing this man." "This is Aiden, not much of a talker but there is no one more loyal."

The man bowed his head in response. Mavis just sat there with that same dumbstruck expression. Gray approached her and reached out his hand. She immediately recoiled from his touch.

"Gray, what is this about?" "Why am I here?" "What have you done with Zeref?" "How did you…"

Gray held his hand up to silence her. He took a deep breath.

"I can't answer your questions if you throw them all at me at once."

"Fine then, she said." "How is it possible that we were hit by Law and I'm not dead?"

Gray raised his eyebrow.

"I cant really say I'm surprised, but how did you know it was Law?"

"After what that spell put me through, it's hard not to notice." Gray chuckled. He slid his hands into the pockets of his jacket and smiled.

"That is fair." "However, you aren't entirely correct to say that spell is Law." "I think I will adopt the name though." "How about Devil Law?" Mavis rolled her eyes.

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" The grin disappeared from Gray's face. "Where have you been Gray?" "Juvia has been worried sick about you." He turned away, hiding the pain those words inflicted. His fists clenched at his side.

"I gave her the chance to come with me!" "It was her choice to stay!"

"You don't have to give me excuses." "I'm not the one you abandoned." That struck a nerve. The mark on his left arm began to envelop his body. Mavis had never seen it go so far. Cascades of ice began to form around her sharpening into piercing blades poised at her throat. His glare was terrifying to her. One wrong move and she knew her life was forfeit. She had to stop looking at this emotionally. Gray may be an old friend but right now he was the one holding her against her will. She had to play it cool. Aiden stepped forward and placed his hand on Gray's shoulder. Mavis could see a black mark moving up the man's neck just slightly. Steam rolled off of the area he was touching and the mark slowly began to retract itself. It kept shrinking, smaller and smaller until it was once again confined to the area around his wrist. He shook his head slightly and nodded to his friend in thanks. The ice around her slowly melted away. She took a deep breath before continuing.

"What was that?" Gray eyed the mark warily.

"That…was a mistake." "I'm sorry I let it get out of control." Mavis sighed.

"Maybe now you can explain exactly what it is I'm doing here?" He nodded.

Mavis was still worried about Zeref. She wondered what happened to him. Hopefully she could get these answers from Gray.

"I will answer your real question first." "Zeref is fine…for now." Mavis let out a sigh of relief. She had no idea how much she needed to hear those words. Now it was time to do some digging so she could find out what Gray was planning and possibly get an idea of how she was going to escape.

"Thank goodness…what am I doing here?"

"I am sorry, taking you was the only way I could think of to get Zeref's attention."

"Are you trying to piss him off?" "You do know what he is capable of don't you?"

"I'm well aware." "We need his attention to accomplish our real goal."

"What…suicide?" "If thats your goal then there are plenty of ways to go about it." "Why did you need me?" "Whats your endgame here?"

"My endgame is the same as it has always been." "I am going to kill END." This actually took Mavis by surprise. She stepped forward but she forgot about the chains. The iron squeezed her wrists sending pain shooting through her arm. She winced at the pain.

"What?" "Kill END?" "Gray, I thought you were past that." "You know END is…"

"That doesn't change anything," he said quietly. "My parents were murdered by a demon from the book of Zeref." "I will not stop until every demon is eradicated along with their creator!"

"You really think your parents would want this!" "Do you think Ul would want this?" "Zeref aside, Natsu is your friend!" "He's your comrade." "Are you really going to throw that away for revenge?"

"Enough!" Gray was now shaking with rage. His nails were beginning to draw blood as he struggled to keep his power at bay. He was finally able to calm himself. The shaking stopped and he took a deep breath. "I didn't come here to argue Mavis." "I came out of respect for the First Master of Fairy Tail to let you know why you were taken prisoner." "I will destroy Natsu and Zeref and finally be free from this burden." "There is nothing you can say to change my mind." Mavis sagged in defeat. Seeing his message was delivered, Gray thought it was a good time to take his leave.

"You better kill me." He stopped short of the doorway. "If you harm anyone of my family members, if you proceed with this ridiculous vendetta to kill the two most important people in my life, you better kill me." "If you don't, I swear on my life I will use every resource I have." "You will be an enemy of all of Fairy Tail and you know better than anyone we will not stop until you and everyone who helpedyou destroy our family have been destroyed." "There will be no mention of you anywhere in history." "You will be nothing." "I will show you why they call me the Fairy Tactician!"

Gray stood in silence facing away from her. She didn't know what she was expecting but Gray's answer froze her heart solid. She hadn't realized tears were rolling down her cheeks as she spat out her venomous threats. It wasn't even like her to be so bloodthirsty.

"Do what you must"


	4. Devil's Lightning

The door scraped the ground as it shut. Both the men had left together and Mavis was left alone. She felt a whole mass of emotions hit her all at once but she was too numb to react to it. She sighed collapsing onto the cold floor. She closed her eyes hoping to fall asleep and let this day come to an end. Unfortunately the sound of someones voice echoed throughout the room at that moment ruining any chance of her falling asleep.

"Is he gone now?" The voice was female and had a certain melodic tone. Her old english accent broke through very noticeably. Mavis sat up once again and looked around the room before replying.

"Yes…?" Her answer was phrased more as a question than anything. That seemed to be enough for the disembodied voice though because right before her eyes, a petite blue-haired girl with her long hair tied up in a ponytail materialized as if out of thin air in front of her. A strand of her hair was loose falling over her cheek. Mavis noticed movement along the girls legs as she entered the room but it quickly disappeared. At first glance, she looked like a normal school girl to Mavis, but she knew better than to judge someone by their appearance. The girl smiled and flashed a peace sign while winking.

"Ello love." "I'm Lisse." "It's an honor to meet you Mavis Vermillion." The girl held out her hand but Mavis was hesitant to take it. "Right, I can understand your reluctance considering the days events." She let her hand drop and sat next to her leaving just enough distance to make Mavis feel comfortable. It actually did work. Mavis slowly began to relax and talk with the girl. Lisse explained that they were in the mountains somewhere outside of the kingdom of Alvarez. She told Mavis she had no idea what exactly Gray was planning or how he was going to stand up to Natsu and Zeref. Afterwards they just talked about normal everyday things. Mavis was starting to enjoy the girls company.

"Wait, are you a prisoner here too?" Mavis asked.

"Mmmm…not exactly, I just hang around here a lot." Mavis giggled.

"Of all the places you could be, why hang out in a castle full of nut jobs?" Lisse smiled and stood up. She walked to the door swinging her hips exaggeratively. Her hands clasped behind her back as she swayed.

"I always meet the most interesting people in this dungeon." "I like to greet them on their first day."

"Thats nice of you but why would you risk yourself like this?"

"Hmm…" The girl tapped her chin seemingly pondering how to answer. "I guess that is probably because…" The girl vanished appearing right over Mavis' body. She tipped her chin up with two fingers. The sweet friendly expression she wore before was gone and it was replaced by a malicious grin. "I just love to see their expression when they realize they were betrayed." Mavis barely had time to react as a rope made of pure lightning surrounded her body restricting all of her movements. She collapsed onto the ground. It was too late. She was already helpless and with her magic suppressed she had no way of escaping. Lisse laughed unnecessarily loud then grabbed lifted Mavis from the ground from under her chin. She ran he fingers through her hair and grinned. Mavis could only glare.

"Oh, you look so cute right now!" "I bet you want to hurt me really bad don't you?" Mavis opened her mouth to curse out the girl. "Uh oh too late!" Her voice dropped to a sinister whisper. "Time to sleep, princess." Mavis felt her whole body go numb as it began to convulse. Bolts of lightning scattered throughout her body sending her into a quick state of unconsciousness.


	5. Fairy Tail, Move Out!

"Zeref, wait!" Filled with a determination like none he had ever felt before, Zeref made his way back to Magnolia. The guild still looked the same as it did the day it was founded by his love. He had never taken the time to appreciate it but now was not the time and place for that. He had to see its Master. He ignored the pleading from the other wizards and crashed through the doors. Everyone stood at attention upon his intrusion.

"I want to see your master!"

The place was silent. No one dared make a move because at that moment everyone knew that the moment they did, all hell would break lose in the guild. Zeref sensed a change in the ethernano particles in the space around him. He put up a darkness shield just in time to block the Dragonslayer magic aimed at him with deadly intent. The red lightning subsided leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. Wizards in all directions were thrown from their feet courtesy of the shockwave created from the muscular blondes magic. Zeref sensed the aura of hostility and felt his own blaze around him. One of the guilds S-class wizards and main server was hurrying some of the weaker members of the guild out of the blast zone. Zeref smiled slightly, thankful that he wouldn't hurt them.  
Laxus Dreyar, he remembered the man's unbelievable physical strength during the war. Coupling that with his insane destructive magical power he was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Zeref didn't want to hurt one of Mavis' comrades but he was going to see the Master one way or the other and he wasn't going to let anyone stand in his way.

"I'm going to ask you once Laxus." "Step aside, I need to see the Master." The guilds bookworm finally caught up and tried to intervene in their fight.

"Laxus, wait it's not what you—

"Stay out of this Levi!" Zeref nodded at the young woman.

"It'll be fine Levi, just go." "I'll handle Laxus." She was hesitant but eventually she gave in and stepped out of their way. She sighed.

"Just try not to destroy the guild please." "We can only rebuild it so many times before it just becomes redundant."

As soon as she was out of the way the fight began. Laxus was powerful but Zeref didn't live for 400 years without learning a thing or two about how to combat all manner of magic. His eyes shifted with the pooling of ethernanos to a deep pool of crimson. Laxus shot a bolt of red lightning at his face but it vanished before it connected. The blonde was suddenly flustered.

"How?" Zeref closed his eyes and sighed.

"I'm sorry, there is a bit you still don't know about my magic." "I'll be sure to explain it to you when you wake up but right now I don't have time. He thrust out his palm sending a wave of dark energy barreling towards Laxus. There was no time to dodge and he wouldn't be strong enough to block it. He closed his eyes and waited for the pain…but it never came. He saw a flash of red nd silver before an explosion. The magic faded leaving a completely unfazed redhead with golden armor and a glowing intricate longsword. She opened her fierce eyes the color of soft mocha into a piercing glare at both the men.

"What…the hell… do you both think you're doing inside MY GUILD!"

Zeref diffused his aura and turned to the woman. Everyone gasped as the once king of Alvarez and immortal bent on destroying the world fell to his knees with tears in his eyes and bowed his head. Even Laxus was taken off guard with the amount of humility Zeref was showing. His voice was barely a whisper at first but it grew with the power of the pain and other emotions he was feeling.

"Please." "As the Master of Fairy Tail" "Erza Scarlet, you have to help me save her!" "You have to save Mavis!"

Erza's eyes widened. She turned to Laxus.

"What is he talking about?" He just shrugged. Levi came back at that moment and spoke up.

"I'm not completely sure myself but when we found him, he was unconscious under the old oak. When we asked him what happened he became hysterical saying "Where is she" among other things." Erza dropped to her knee by Zeref and placed her hand on his shoulder. Zeref looked up into her kind eyes.

"Tell us what happened Zeref." So he did, he explained about their picnic and everything else leading up to the blinding light. "

"That was what sent me out that way with some other wizards," Levi said. "We saw the light and went out to investigate." Erza nodded then turned her attention back to Zeref.

"Is there anything you can tell us about that light?" "Anything you can think of would be helpful." Zeref just shook his head.

"I don't know." "I sensed it before it hit but I was too late." "I got the sense I was falling and Mavis went limp in my arms." "At that point I was beginning to lose consciousness." "It felt familiar somehow but I couldn't…" Zeref suddenly remembered why it felt so familiar to him. "Wait…" "Absolute Law"

"What did you just say?" Erza's voice jumped a bit at the mention of Fairy Tail's most sacred spell.

"That was why it seemed so familiar." "I'm sure of it." "The spell was similar to the magic I taught Mavis back during the liberation of Magnolia."

"Similar?" "It wasn't the exact spell?" Zeref shook his head.

"No, if it were I expect I would be dead."

"So, you're saying someone took the magic of absolute law and modified it somehow to use against you."

"Yeah, but who outside of the guild would know anything about that spell?" Erza stood up quickly. She grit her teeth and cursed. Everyone was gawking at her in anticipation. Zeref was curious now. He stood before her and waited with the rest.

"Damn…there is one person outside of the guild who knows that magic." "I know because I taught it to him myself." "Dammit!" Erza, overcome with self-loathing rage threw a punch into the wall beside her creating a large crater in the stone. The person who most likely has Mavis used to be a major part of this guild. Her voice rang out in a noble commanding echo. "Listen up everyone!" "The first Master, Mavis Vermillion, has been captured." "We are Fairy Tail and when they take one of our own we show no mercy, no matter who they might be." "I regret to say that one of our oldest most trusted members is going to be the target for our fury. I need all available members to meet me in front of the guild in five minutes." "Were going to war."

The nine strongest members of Fairy Tail stood in front of the guild waiting for their master to come out and brief them on the mission. They stood around contemplating who they might be up against. The doors opened and everyone snapped to attention. Erza stepped in front of them with Zeref by her side.

"Everyone, I know you all want to know exactly what is going on but let me first say thank you for joining me in this." "I won't waste your time, the person we are up against is Grey Fullbuster." The entire group let out a gasp. Even Zeref was surprised at this new piece of information.  
"Rumor is he is hold up in a fortress somewhere outside of the what used to be the Kingdom of Alvarez." "We are going to lay siege to that castle and rescue the first Master." There is no telling what we will face but we are Fairy Tail wizards and when it comes to our family we will not leave anyone behind! The group let out a chorus of agreement. "All right, Roll Call." The teams will be…

Laxus and Mirajane

Lisanna and Elfman

Wendy,Romeo and Carla

Gajeel,Levi and Lily

Erza and Juvia

"The teams are decided." "Fairy Tail move o—"

"You guys weren't planning on going anywhere without us were you?" Standing on the hill making a dramatic entrance as usual, was the pink-haired, energetic goofball they all knew and loved, and his beautiful blonde fiancee along with a loveable blue flying cat. Erza grinned at this unexpected turn of events.

"What took you so long?" "I was starting to worry the job was too much for you?"

"What?" "Are you kidding?" "The job was easy!" "Did you really expect anything less from m—" Lucy interrupted him with a swift punch to the top of his head.

"The job itself was easy but this blockhead got us lost in the middle of the desert." "It'll take me weeks to get the sweat and sand out of these clothes." Erza laughed.

"Sounds like the same old Natsu to me."

"Aye sir!" Happy bellowed.

The final team joining us on this mission.

Natsu, Lucy, and Happy

Natsu grinned as he joined the group but inside his feelings were conflicted.

"What are you thinking Grey?" 


	6. Devil's Shadow

**We left off with the Fairy Tail gang reuniting with Lucy, Natsu, and Happy. Natsu was returning from a secret job that Erza sent him off to. The characters that will be introduced in this chapter are the visions of my best friend, Xavian. I hope yall enjoy! Disclaimer:I do not own any of the original cast of Fairy Tail.**

Natsu sneaked away from the group to speak with Erza. Erza smiled, happy to see her old friend again.

"You had us all worried Salamander." "Some of the other guild members were beginning to think you weren't coming back." Natsu grins dragging his knuckles across his cheek and cracking his neck.

"They should know better than that by now." "I would never leave Fairy Tail." "It took a little longer than I thought to handle your request." Erza raised her eyebrows.

"So you got it?" The mood grew serious and the sounds of the guild members questioning Happy and Lucy animatedly around the corner seemed to fade into the wind. A gust of wind blew Erza's hair into her face. Natsu grit his teeth and reached in his jacket pocket. He pulled out an item wrapped in some kind of special cloth and handed it to her.

"Look Erza, It may not be my place but are you sure you want to use such a dangerous object?" "There must be another—"

"Thank you for your concern Natsu, but I've already made my decision." Zeref, who had sensed the magic in the object Erza was holding, materialized from the shadows.

"He is right Erza." Messing with magic you don't quite understand can have devastating results." "Trust me, I know better than anyone." His eyes fell as he remembered the 400 years under the Ankhsalam Curse.

"You just worry about your fiancee Zeref and I'll worry about mine." Natsu tried to back up Zeref but he just held up his hand.

"It's okay Natsu, I understand how she feels." "Just promise to be careful." "Mavis would be crushed if anything happened to any of you." "Speaking of that, where are Gildarts and Cana?" Erza sent him a knowing glance and smiled.

"They are fine Zeref, training in the mountains." "I would tell you if anything happened." Zeref just nodded. Erza placed a comforting hand on his shoulder and smiled. "Lets go rescue Mavis."

The gang gathered in preparation for their journey. Their faces were a mix of excitement for the action, determination for the fight ahead, and worry over the safety of Mavis. As they were leaving the guild a thought occurred to Natsu.

"Hey guys, how exactly are we getting to Alvarez?" Erza called back over her shoulder to him.

"Hmmm?" "Didn't I tell you?" "Were taking a boat." Natsu's face turned a sickly shade of green. "What did you expect, honestly?"

"I thought we might be using Blue Pegasus' anti-motion sickness boat?"

"We don't really have time to contact him." "I would also like to keep my distance from him if I can help it." "Besides, did you really think after all this time we wouldn't have made one for ourselves?" As if conjured by her words, a grand sailing ship with oakwood came into view. The figurehead was a…(surprise)…Fairy!

"WooHoooaaa!" Natsu was now bouncing with excitement. "Is it really like Ichya-san's?"

"Of course!" Wendy beamed. "I helped build it." "The wood planks are infused with my Troia sky magic." Natsu grinned and jumpped up to the railing on the portside of the ship.

"What are we waiting for then?" "Fairy Tail, set sail!"

It took three days to sail from Magnolia to Alvarez. The usual shenanigans ensued on board the ship during their journey but Zeref couldn't join any of the fun. He was too worried about Mavis. He leaned over the banister feeling the cool air flow through his hair. He closed his eyes listening to the waves lap against the ship. It was a truly relaxing feeling. Zeref felt movement stir the air behind him and quickly turned to face whatever it was. His aura flared but when he realized who was standing before him, he immediately regretted his hostility.

"I am sorry." "You surprised me." The young man shrugged and joined him looking out at the open blue waters. He ran his fingers through his strawberry pink hair. The wind grew calm and he turned to Zeref.

"You know, I didn't know what to expect after the war." "You told me I was your little brother and I couldn't even say that it wasn't possible. "I don't know if I wanted to have that brotherly relationship with you but looking at how we are now, I barely know anything about you." I guess what I'm saying is…I want to start something with you Zeref." "I want to be your brother." Zeref opened his eyes and looked at his brother in surprise. He didn't realize it until Natsu actually acknowledged it himself but those words meant more to him in that moment than any others.

"Thank you, Natsu." Natsu held out his fist and Zeref responded in kind solidifying their new start as off the side of the ship, the kingdom of Alvarez appeared in the distance.

Romeo docked the ship at the port and everyone disembarked. A feeling of nostalgia overcame them as they looked upon the kingdom of Alvarez. Zeref felt a sting of regret as he remembered the terrible things he had done as the spriggan king. Natsu squeezed his shoulder and Zeref turned his attention to his brother.

"Its all in the past right?" Zeref nodded and they entered the shipyard. Erza payed the owner to keep the ship docked and returned to the rest of the guild members who were having a hard time deciding what their next move was.

"So, what do you say Master?" "Whats our next move?" Erza tapped her chin contemplating.

"We need to gather some information." "Well split into two teams and question the townspeople." "Natsu and Wendy, your team will join Juvia and me in searching the North side of town." Laxus, Gajeel and Lisanna's groups will search the South side "Someone has to know where Grey might be." "We will meet back here in an hour." Zeref stepped forward.

"What about me?" Erza just waved him off.

"You do whatever you want Zeref." He didn't know why but her dismissal really stung. He grit his teeth but somehow managed to remain moderately calm.

"I'm going with my brother then."

"Suit yourself."

They all split up and Zeref's group headed north toward a bridge connecting the North and South end of the town. As they approached the bridge, they could see a figure on the ground near the entrance. Before anyone else reacted, Wendy was already speeding toward it. She dropped to her knees by the figure and began checking for signs of life. It was just a little girl probably no older than Wendy was when she joined Fairy Tail. Wendy was panicking. She leaned over the girl checking to see if she was breathing. It was faint but she was alive. Wendy immediately began her healing with Sky Dragonslayer magic. Everyone was so focused on Wendy's panic that they didn't notice the girl had already opened her eyes and was staring blankly at Wendy. The light reflected off of her crimson eyes. Zeref could see a deep pain in them as Wendy in her usual kind-natured way tried to make the girl feel comfortable. She ran her fingers through her raven black hair and looked around.

"Who are you people?" Wendy stood and held out her hand.

"I am Wendy Marvell." "What is your name?" The girl stared at the hand as if it were a vicious dog barking at her. Zeref could already tell she was a very cautious girl. She seemed harmless enough but something was bothering him. His eyes fell on a marking that stood out at the hemline of her shirt. He tried to get a better look but the girl stood up and fixed herself up.

"Sigilia"

 **Well, this seems like a good place to stop. Who is this mysterious girl? What secrets does she have that may be setting off alarm bells with Zeref? I hope ya'll are enjoying this story so far. You will get a better idea for Sigilia's character in the next chapter. Please be sure to review and tell me what you think.**


	7. Devil's Wind

Wendy was incredible. The way she immediately reacted to anyone in pain or danger. She was a truly benevolent soul. Zeref thought about his and Layla Heartfilia's past. The plan to bring the dragonslayers from different times using Eclipse was a long thought out strategy. His hatred for Acnologia smothered him. He wanted to apologize for all that he had caused through his actions. However, when he had brought it up to her, she simply smiled and told him not to worry. The way she saw it, if he hadn't brought her to the past she never would have joined Fairy Tail.

Wendy was talking with the young girl apart from everyone. Zeref didn't know where the urge to talk to the Master came from but he had to get something off her chest. He managed to pull her away from everybody as much as it seemed to irritate her.

"What is the meaning of this Zeref?" Zeref took a deep breath. Why was he so nervous about this? He never sought the approval of anyone but Mavis in his life.

"What was that about before?" Erza just stared confused.

"I'm sorry, I am not following you."

"You just completely brushed me off before. "

"Seriously Zeref, what are you talking about?" Zeref could feel himself getting frustrated. His anger was beginning to peak and his dark aura was starting to release itself.

"Do what you want?" "Do you really not think of me as a useful ally?" "I mean I could have said I'm going back and you probably wouldn't have cared!" Zeref was out of breath and shaking from anger. He expected Erza to either get angry back or get nervous that he would attack her. Instead, she laughed. She really freakin laughed. This did not help his escalating anger. "What is so funny?" Erza held up her finger asking to give her a minute. When she finally regained her composure, she cleared her throat.

"Im sorry, I just found it amusing that you actually cared what I thought." "Anyway you misunderstood me completely." "I told you to do whatever you want, not as a dismissal of you from the team, but because I trust your judgement." "Your tactical prowess is on par with Mavis'" "I expected anything you came up with would be beneficial to all of us." She punched him in the chest playfully. "Don't be so sensitive buddy."

Zeref felt foolish. Of course Erza wouldn't blatantly dismiss him. She wasn't that kind of person. He laughed to himself a little bit and headed over to where Wendy seemed to have made some progress getting the girl to open up.

"So Sigilia, what were you doing laying in the middle of the road like that?" The girl eyed Zeref but must have deemed him trustworthy and began to speak. Her voice was quiet. There seemed to be an ache of loneliness in it as well as a timid nature.

"I was sleeping." Wendy stared at the girl slack-jawed. "What?" "I was headed into town to get food when I suddenly felt like sleeping so I curled up next to the bridge and fell asleep."

"Your heart was almost completely still." "I thought you were dead."

"Really?" Sigilia shrugged. "Well, thats a thing."

"I can't believe you can just shrug that off." Wendy sounded perplexed but Zeref could see the little smile she was trying to hide.

"Oh anyway, were about to go get some food." "Would you like to join us?" The girls eyes began to sparkle. Zeref couldn't help but chuckle. Wendy was right after him. "I guess that is a yes."

They managed to find a decent place to eat that seemed like it might be cheap. They all had their fill and were relaxing but everyones attention soon fell on the spectacle happening in the front of the diner. Natsu was being his usual self eating everyone under the table except for one person. Sigilia was right next to him giving the dragonslayer a run for his money. Bowl after bowl they both went head to head. It was almost like a sparring match between the two. The atmosphere inthe Diner was becoming intense. After a good amount of time Natsu finally crumbled. The battle was over but the girl was still going. Natsu leaned his head on Lucy's lap and groaned.

"How can such a little girl eat so much?" Lucy stroked his hair and whispered words of comfort into her Fiancee's ears. Wendy couldn't stop laughing.

"Way to go Sigi—" Wendy had looked away for only a second but when she looked back the girl was gone. "Where did she go?" Wendy headed towards the door but she was stopped by a waiter.

"Excuse me miss but you forgot the bill." Wendy took the thin slip of paper and scanned the writing. Her heart almost stopped.

"Are you kidding me?" "There is no way we had that much to eat."

"Yes well the young girl who just left ordered a substantial amount of corned beef hash to go." Wendy couldn't breathe. She brought the bill to Erza who got super pissed and Requipped into her Heaven's Wheel Armor destroying the once peaceful Diner. Zeref was sure there would be another substantial bill for that later.

They left the area around the Diner and started heading down the road. It wasn't long before in the distance they saw a small girl carrying a bunch of boxes. Actually it would be more accurate to say the multiple shadows surrounding her were carrying the boxes.

"Sigilia!" The girl stopped walking and turned to face a clearly infuriated Wendy. Wendy stomped up to the girl and put her fists on her hips. "Why would you do that?" The girl tilted her head in confusion. Her face was the picture of innocence.

"Do what?" Wendy took a deep breath before proceeding to scold the young girl. She dropped to her knees and laid her hands on her shoulders.

"Sigilia, you cant just take advantage of a person's kindness." "Why did you order so much food to go?"

"You said it was your treat and I wanted corn beef hash." Natsu began to chuckle but Wendy's piercing glare shut him up fast. "Sigilia when we said it was our treat we didn't mean you should order stuff and then leave." "Where are you going with all of this food?" Sigilia once again looked perplexed.

"It's mine, I'm gonna eat all of it!"

"Do you realize how much all of this cost!" Wendy was trying really hard to keep her cool but this girl was either void of remorse or she didn't know any better. The young girl opened her mouth to speak but closed it quickly. She cupped her hand over her ear as if she was listening to something. Luckily, Zeref heard it too.

"Wendy look out!" Sigilia jumped backwards and Zeref was able to pull Wendy out of danger just in time. The ground where she had just been standing was now split in half and dust rose from the ground shrouding them all. Zeref squinted through the dust and saw the shadow of a small girl and next to her was a young teen male standing prominently beside her. The shadows disappeared and they were left with a disembodied voice.

"So these are the famous brothers." "Natsu and Zeref Dragneel." "I have to say I am not impressed." Zeref's rage was building and he could feel Natsu's flames burning hotter the longer this kid talked. "Sigilia, what were you doing with them?"

"Hmmm?" "Oh I had no idea who they were." "All I know is they bought me corn beef hash so I like them." Gale shook his head. "What am I going to do with you?" He turned back to the group who still had a bit of trouble seeing him…or so he thought. Natsu and Zeref both unleashed a powerful blast of their power directly at him. Sigilia reacted without thinking and stepped in front of the blast. They tried to pull it back but it was too late. The blast connected but something unexpected occured. It was as if their power consumed itself and the girl was unharmed. Gale sighed. "Thanks for that." Sigilia nodded.

"Nobody hurts Gale." "Can we kill them now?"

"Not quite yet." He raised his voice so the others could hear him well. "The castle is just up this mountain." "Master Grey will be waiting for you inside." The wind began to pick up around them all clearing the dust from the area. The boy and Sigilia were surrounded by highly intense winds. Zeref still couldn't see the boys face. My name is Gale Norahara, if you wish to free Mavis, come find me. They both disappeared in one final gust of wind leaving the gang with a new burning determination. Zeref clenched his fists.

"Erza, when we get to the castle…That kid is mine."

 _ **Sorry I couldn't actually describe Gale. I actually have a friend working on the designs of the characters for the most part. Gale is another one of his creations and I just don't want to tarnish his vision. I hope you enjoyed the chapter and Sigilia's antics. Next chapter we shall reveal the final member of the Guild. DEVILS GATE**_


	8. Devil's Mirage

Zeref and the rest headed back to town to find an inn. They were just checking in when Levi came through the front dragging an injured Gajeel. She was pretty beaten up and it was apparent how much of a struggle it was for her to carry the large man.

"Na…tsu, Er…za you have to help uhh…" She collapsed onto the inn floor. Lucy and Erza rushed to her side along with Wendy. Wendy started the healing but it was clear it would take a while for them to recover. Zeref felt a burning desire to start destroying everything in sight but Natsu's rage was even beyond his own. He could tell that nothing would stop his brother from tearing apart whoever was responsible for this. Levi regained consciousness rather quickly but she was still in serious need of healing. Natsu pushed Erza out of the way and stood above her.

"Levy, who did this?"

"I…I don't know his name but it was like nothing I've ever seen." "Natsu he may still be there…I had to…" Levy was getting hysterical. Lucy wrapped her arms around the girl and tried to comfort her. Natsu had heard enough anyway. He tore out of the Inn destroying the door in the process. Zeref was worried. Natsu was getting dangerously close to unleashing his demonic side and there was no telling if he would still be on their side afterward. He took off in the same direction only to be stopped by Erza.  
"What are you doing?" "I have to go after him!" She just shook her head.

"Natsu can handle whatever he might run into." "I need you here to help me handle the wounded that may return." Zeref averted his eyes.

"I'm not much of a healer Erza."

"Nonsense, you're telling me in the four hundred years you were teaching yourself magic you never once learned any healing spells?"

"Of course I did!" "But…that was one of the reasons I was cursed." "I…you can't ask me to do this." "What if it comes back?" "What if…I kill them instead." Erza could see how much it was bothering Zeref so she decided to let the matter drop. She returned to Wendy's side and nodded in his direction. Wendy turned to him concern written all over her face. He couldn't take the attention. He continued his original plan and took off after his brother.

Natsu had been running in the direction Levy's team headed earlier for a good amount of time. His feet were aching and he was getting winded but the thought of punishing whoever hurt his family pushed him forward regardless. Finally, his endless searching bore fruit. Over the next hill he saw them. Laxus, Mirajane, Elfman, Lisanna, and Lily were all collapsed on the ground with multiple lacerations and scars. Natsu kneeled beside Laxus. The stubborn man managed to pull himself into a crouched position.

"Get out of here Natsu." "This guy…is mine!" Natsu finally noticed the confident looking man standing in the distance. His short blonde hair barely fell over his crimson eyes. He wore a Black long sleeve jacket with a golden pinstripe up the arms over a white button-down dress shirt and black slacks. His posture was that of an aristocrat. Natsu's rage began to burn once again and he charged at the man.

" ** _Iron fist of the Fire Dragon King_**!" He brought his fist of flames down on the man but met nothing but air. An arrogant chuckle echoed around them as the man materialized beside Zeref who had just run up from behind natsu. Zeref tried to grab him but his results were no better than Natsu's.

"Come out you coward!" The chuckle turned into a full bellowing laughter.

"So you are the famous Salamander and you are the Spriggan King?" "You must forgive me if I don't find it an intelligent move to put myself easily in harms way." "You see I am not much of a fighter in a sense but I assure you I am not someone you should take lightly. Figures started to form around them. Zeref moved to his bothers side and stood so they were back to back. The figures shaped themselves into bone creatures with tusks sharp as blades. Zeref smiled with a sense of nostalgia as he realized what they were.

"You expect to defeat us with illusions?"

"Don't be fooled!" Laxus called out to them in warning. "He can somehow make them as solid as you or me." The warning came just in time as one of the beasts sprung into action aiming its tusks at Zeref's heart. He felt it tear through the fabric in his jacket and put some distance between them.

"Okay then." Zeref took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Dark energy began to swirl around him and condense into one solid form. The Spriggan King's sword, **_Durandal_** was a large Greatsword, black and purple with a large amethyst embedded in the hilt. Natsu grinned.

"I'm all fired up."

They began tearing through the illusions one by one. There seemed to be no end to them. They both were starting to get tired when the man threw another trick out. As Zeref brought down his sword on one of the beasts, it slipped straight through and stuck in the ground. The same illusion then impaled his shoulder with one of its tusks. Zeref cursed out in pain and leaped away from the creature.

"Damn," he thought. For a split second the illusion lost its form allowing his sword to slip right through. Then, it solidified once again to attack him once again. Natsu seemed to be dealing with the same thing. No matter how many times they tried it was the same story. They would slip through them one second and be cut by the next attack almost instantly. Zeref realized he had no other choice. He released Durandal and condensed the black magic into his hands. His palms came together channeling the magic around his body. Finally, he threw his arms wide surrounding the area in an aura of black magic. The creatures vanished instantly and the man controlling them finally materialized before him. He looked around in shock.

"How did you do that?" Zeref's aura stood out even against the dark aura surrounding them all. Natsu watched as his brother's eyes radiated a dark crimson. He stepped slowly toward the enemy building his power for one deadly blow.

"I neutralized all the magic in this area besides my own." "You have no escape and I will show you no mercy." He raised his hand in front of him slowly and his aura began to crawl towards the man. The terror was easily seen on the man's face as he watched his approaching death become a wave of darkness about to take him under.

As the darkness began to swallow the man another joined them and burned the darkness surrounding them. Zeref blinked in surprise. Someone was actually able to dispel his **_Black Curtain_**? The man was exceptionally big with pulled back white hair and eyes that resembled molten lava. The aura surrounding this man was intimidating even to Zeref. He spoke without taking his eyes off of them.

"Haos, this was not part of the plan." The blonde brushed himself off and shook off the earlier fear he had shown. His demeanor was now as flippantly arrogant as before.

"I was just having a bit of fun Akame." "You're so stiff all the time." "You need to lighten up." "Care to help me kill these two so we can move on?" Akame finally tore his eyes from Zeref and glared at the man.

"If we kill them now we will not get what we want from the Lady Mavis." Zeref caught those two words and appeared in front of the man without hesitating.

"What did you just say?" "What have you done with Mavis!" Zeref's rage was boiling over. He grabbed the man by the vest and lifted him effortlessly. Akame was the picture of calm. He closed his eyes and sighed.

"Lady Mavis is unharmed I assure you." "We have no desire to bring any harm to her at all." "My orders are to lead you to the castle for Master Grey." "Whatever happens after that will be up to you." Zeref took in the mans words and somehow tempered his anger. He let the man go and took a few steps back. Akame nodded and turned to address Haos. "Return to the castle and try not to cause any more trouble." "You are lucky I showed up here when I did." Haos seemed like he was about to argue but Akame's soul burning glare shut him up. He bowed elegantly and vanished. Akame turned back to Zeref and bowed. "We shall meet again Spriggan King." A bright light made Zeref look away and the man was gone when he looked back.

Zeref looked down at his hands and realized they were shaking. He didn't think it was possible but one undeniable fact dawned on him. _That man scared the hell out of him._


	9. Devil's Glass

"They're back!" Wendy called from the lobby as Natsu and Zeref stumbled in with the rest of Laxus' team on their backs. Erza came rushing out of the make-shift infirmary Porlyusica created in the Inn. She waved some of the employees over who were happy to help in getting them all to a bed.

"What happened?" She asked Zeref who was still shaken up by his encounter with the wizard before. He was staring at the ground when Natsu chimed in.

"They were attacked by a strange wizard." "His magic was like nothing I had seen before." "It was like his illusions were solid material." "I couldn't explain if I tried." "Zeref would have had him but another wizard interfered." Erza eyed Zeref out of the corner of her eye. He was visibly shaken she could tell. She held her hand up silencing Natsu and turned to him. He was still preoccupied with the ground however and didn't notice all of the attention was now on him.

"Zeref!" He jumped at the sound of his name and slowly brought himself to meet her eyes. Her voice softened as she continued. "I need your input on this too." He nodded and took a deep breath exhaling slowly. He explained the situation in detail only stopping briefly when he mentioned the interfering wizard and even Erza was shocked that he was able to suppress his power. Natsu was getting aggravated. He stepped in front of his brother and a loud smack echoed throughout the building.

"You need to snap out of it." Natsu's usually laid back excited tone was all seriousness now. "Ever since you saw that man, you've been like a ghost." "I get it, he's powerful but so are you!" Zeref shook his head.

"Natsu you don't understand how insane it is that he was able neutralize my Black Curtain." "It took me one hundred years to perfect that spell." "It neutralizes all magic within it besides my own and that man shattered it." "He terrifies me Natsu." Natsu threw a wild punch sending Zeref flying. Erza screamed at the fiery hothead.

"Natsu, what the hell are you doing?" Flames burned around his arms and lit his eyes with excitement.

"I'm gonna beat some sense into my brother." "Im all fired up!"

Mavis slowly regained her senses. Her body ached all over and she could barely move. She laid there motionless on the ground as the days events played over and over in her head. She felt like she was encased in that crystal once again with no escape. The sound of her own voice in her head faded as it was replaced with quiet chatter outside her cell.

"You do this all the time Lisse!" "Why can't you just follow orders?"

"I was bored and she just looked so fun to play with." Mavis could hear the playful smile in the girls words. She shivered remembering their earlier encounter. That one was definitely the girl she met before but she didn't recognize the other voice. It was female, very proper with a bit of an arrogant tone.

"Master Grey would be furious if he found out what you did!"

"I think you are forgetting it isn't Grey we actually answer to Haven." "I will do as I please when I please and that brat is not gonna get in my way."

"We still have to make Grey think we are loyal to him." "Otherwise our plan won't work and Master Lu—" The girl's voice stopped short. Silence fell over the cell and Mavis thought maybe they had walked off. Then, the familiar sound of the lock mechanism turning inside the door made her heart race. The door opened and Mavis struggled to get into a sitting position lying limp against the wall. She couldn't even raise her head to look at th girl's who entered her cell. Lisse knelt down and brought Mavis' eyes up to meet her own.

"Hello there my little princess." "I thought I felt you awaken." Mavis tried to make sense of what she was saying but her mind was still jumbled. The girl giggled. "Yes, my power can be a bit much the first time its used on someone." "I can make it better if you want." Mavis nodded weakly. She hated giving into the girl but the pain was unbearable. Lisse stood up and snapped her fingers. A light jolt went through her body but it wasn't like before. Mavis felt her energy returning little by little. In a short time it was like she was good as new. She eyed the girl suspiciously.

"How did you do that?"

"That question will be answered at another time but right now I need you to come with me."

They walked through the castle passing by many strange rooms in the process. Mavis could hear strange sounds coming from the other side of some of the doors. She didn't want to even try to imagine what was going on and she even saw Lisse cringe at some of it. Mavis made sure to commit everything she saw to memory for when she finally attempted her escape. They walked down a few flights of stairs and down a couple strange corridors before stopping in front of a door that didn't quite match the rest of the castle. She finally got a good look at the other girl. She was petite with really bright hair that was white with a tint of green to it. Her curls fell over he shoulders elegantly and she swayed when she walked. She noticed her staring and turned her crystal-like purple eyes on Mavis glaring.

"What the hell are you staring at low-born?" Her eyes scanned Mavis and locked onto her feet. "What kind of animal does not wear shoes anyway?"

"Now Haven, do not be rude." "The princess here is our guest." Haven threw her chin up in defiance. "Would you mind getting the door love?" The haughty girl seemed to swallow her pride momentarily and approached the high tech scanner on the wall by the door. A black mark seemed to swirl up her arm like a snake. It reached her palm and took the shape of a diamond. The girl held out her palm to the scanner and a lock clicked causing the door to slide open mechanically.

They entered the room which turned out to be just a large open space. The walls were bleached white as well as the floor. Other then the tight security Mavis didn't see anything of significance. She was about to ask about the place when a bolt of lightning struck her restraints and they melted from her wrists. Mavis blinked in surprise then turned her attention on the brit.

"What is this?" Lisse was swinging around what looked like it might be a leather whip. Mavis eyed it cautiously. Lisse smiled.

"I thought maybe you would want to take out some of that frustration you've been buildin up since you got here." Mavis was still confused but she didn't have enough time to question it. She leapt backwards just in time to miss being skewered by a large clear colored spear. She looked to the prim and proper brat from before who was grinning from ear to ear. She was so distracted she didn't notice the whip wrapping around her wrist. Lisse yanked on the chord pulling Mavis until they were face to face.

"Lets play princess."


	10. Breaking Point

Wendy and Porylusica ran outside to investigate the explosion and stood next to Erza observing the scene before them with awe. Porlyusica shook her head and brought palm to her face but she was unable to keep from smiling.

"How did I know Natsu had something to do with this?" Erza sighed.

"I'm just glad he had the sense to take it outside before he got too carried away."

"What is going on?" "Why are Natsu and Zeref fighting?" Wendy's small voice cut through the both of them but it was Carla who answered instead.

"Natsu sees that his brother has lost his spirit and is trying to reawaken it." All three women stared at Carla who was in her human form watching the scene herself. She shrugged. I walked in on everything but kept to myself. Erza smiled.

"If anyone could light the spirit inside someone it was Natsu."

Zeref dove away from his brothers attacks barely managing to miss being singed by his flames.

"Natsu, I don't want to fight you." The young Dragonslayer quickly moved within range and sent him flying once more with his _**Iron Fist of the Fire Dragon.**_

"Too bad, I'm not gonna stop till you wake up!"

"We don't have time for this!" Zeref's anger was getting dangerously close to its limit. Why was his brother wasting time with this? "We have to get to the castle and save Mavis!" Natsu closed the distance once more and sent a volley of flames at him. He may not want to fight his brother but he could dodge his attacks at least. He was distracted by the volleys he didn't notice Natsu had gotten behind him. He felt a searing pain in his back as Natsu's _**Wing Slash of the Fire Dragon**_ connected. He couldn't believe it. Natsu wasn't holding back. With that hit he could tell his brother was coming at him with everything he had. That was the last straw for him. His rage boiled over and his aura spilled out. The dark curtain began to form around them like before but Zeref tempered it enough so it was confined to only the immediate area surrounding him. Natsu's next attack connected but there was no fire to it this time around. That didn't mean that it didn't hurt like hell but at least he wasn't in any real danger now. From that point their fight was strictly physical. They traded punches back and forth until they were both at their limits. Their last punches connected at the same time and they both hit the dirt with no signs of either of them standing again. Wendy moved to start the healing but Erza held her back.

"Not yet."

After a minute of resting both of them rose slowly to their feet. They loked arms and struggled with all their might to overpower the other.

"Were wasting time!" "Every second we spend fighting is time we could use saving Mavis!"

"What good would you be to her right now if you're too scared to fight!" Zeref was taken off guard by his outburst and Natsu took that opportunity to break through his guard and toss him to the ground pinning him where he fell. Zeref struggled but his body had been pushed to the point of exhaustion. Natsu glared down at his brother.

"You really pissed me off." "It doesn't matter who we are up against." "We have faced enemies that we never thought we could beat." "We beat a freaking god Zeref but you are just gonna tuck your tail and run because of one guy?" "When it comes to our family we don't run." "They can beat us down as many times as they want but we will still rise until our family is safe." "That is what it means to be Fairy Tail!" Zeref averted his eyes.

"Natus…but I'm not Fairy Tail." Natsu's anger slowly slipped away. He stood up and offered his hand.

"Of course you are." "We all think of you as family now Zeref." Zeref looked around and all of the guild members had gathered outside to watch their fight. They all sent him a nod of agreement. Zeref found it hard to keep his emotions in check as he took his brother's hand. He stood up straight and took a deep breath.

"Thank you all."

Mavis was frantically dodging the multitude of attacks the two girls were throwing at her. She sent a blast of her fairy magic at Haven throwing her off but Lisse struck her with an electrically charged whip. She cried out and lost her footing rolling on the rough ground. Her body collided with something hard and before she knew it her arms and legs were encased in crystal. She struggled to pull free but the crystal wouldn't budge. Lisse approached her slowly. She rand her tongue across her lips.

"Is that all the First Master of Fairy Tail can offer me for entertainment?" "I'm disappointed." Mavis was tired of the games. She focused her power inward channeling it into her hands and feet and releasing it in one blast of energy. The light blinded the two girls long enough for Mavis to close the distance on Haven and fire a blast of Fairy magic point blank into her chest. She fell to the ground motionless.

"I'm just getting started." Lisse's eyes lit up. She clapped animatedly and grinned.

"Yes, come and get me princess!" A flash of light temporarily blinded Mavis and her legs were swept from under her by what she assumed was the whip. Before she hit the ground, she felt that familiar sensation of Lisse's lightning striking her chest. She gasped in pain and hit the ground hard. She tried to get up but the ground wrapped around her arms and legs once again. Mavis turned her head to see Haven's disheveled presence standing up. She tried to summon the same energy from before but Lisse hit her with another bolt. She cried out and her body suddenly went limp. Her eyes were getting heavy as she saw the girls standing over her. She felt light as a feather, almost peaceful. She also felt something else. As it seemed like Lisse was planning to hit her once more with her power, an energy was building inside of her body. It spread from her toes to her head converging around her heart. Lisse snapped her fingers and the energy exploded from inside of Mavis' body. Haven and Lisse were thrown from their feet as Mavis' semi-conscious body started moving on its own. She moved quicker than she had ever seen anyone move before. It was almost as if all of the ethernano particles in the room had been consumed by her body. The girls had no chance as Mavis took them down like child's play. She stood over their bodies ready to finish them off. A figure appeared behind her and cut through the aura striking her in the side of the neck and she blacked out.


	11. Forgotten Magic

Her eyes opened slowly. The room was slowly coming into focus. It looked like some kind of infirmary. She tried to sit up but couldn't muster any strength. Her eyes fell on her left arm which had an IV drip connected. A girl's face came into view with a worried expression that slowly turned to mock amusement.

"Welcome back to the world of the living, princess." Her tone was playful but Mavis could still hear a slight sense of concern under her humor. She tried to remember what had put her in this state but it was all a blur. All she knew was the back of her neck along with every other part of her body was killing her. She tried to move again and winced at the sudden pain. Lisse frowned standing up from her chair perched off the sighed of her bed and stood above her.

"Here, let me help." Mavis jumped at her touch and the girl smiled. "I'm not gonna hurt you silly." She placed her hand against Mavis' forehead and closed her eyes. Mavis felt the familiar sense of electricity followed by warmth throughout her body. She closed her eyes as it overwhelmed her senses and relaxed her body. The warmth and static slowly pulled away and the girl backed off. "There, do you feel better?" Mavis tested her body and was surprised at the out come.

"Well, my neck feels better but…" She tried once again to sit up but she was exhausted.

"What?" "That is not possible." "You should be completely healed."

"What she is feeling is beyond your abilities of healing, Lisse." A low, powerful voice called as he entered Mavis' room. The man connected to that voice was the one she met on her first day in the castle, Akame Aiden. He leaned over her bed getting uncomfortably close to her face and stared deep into her eyes. Mavis felt a heat rise against her cheeks and quickly looked away.

"What are you doing?" Akame stood up straight and cleared his throat.

"As I suspected, you have Magical Exhaustion." "The effect is probably due to using such overwhelming magical energy without having a conscious mind." Mavis shook her head as her memories slowly returned. Her lips parted in a small gasp as she recalled what she had done.

"Lumen Histoire?" Akame nodded. "That's not possible, that power was exhausted seven years ago against Ankhsalam."

"That is also what we thought but our Master had a theory that you might still possess it dormant inside your spirit." "It seems he was correct." Mavis shook her head.

"What does Grey want with Lumen Histoire?" Akame and Lisse shared a look with each other. It seemed they were contemplating whether to reveal some secret. Lisse sighed.

"Grey is not our true Master." "For now, we have to follow suit and pretend that he is but our true Master is actually the one who needs you."

"What does he want with me?"

"He wishes to use your power to overthrow Grey as the Master of Devils Gate." "You see, about a year ago we were a simple independent guild just doing our best at our jobs to support each other." "One day Grey came to our guild and proclaimed that he would be our new master and we would help him accomplish his goal to destroy END." "Naturally, we defended ourselves but Grey was just too powerful exactly what you would expect from a former Fairy Tail wizard." "In the end he defeated all of us including the master." Lisse eyed Akame. "Akame was the only one who put up a challenge for him but even he was taken down." "We submitted and pledged our loyalty reluctantly but secretly we were putting together a plan to take him down." "Akame is the one who gave Grey the idea of kidnapping you for his plan when truthfully we wanted to ask for your help." Mavis closed her eyes leaned her head back. This was all a lot to take in.

"Why not just ask me then?" "Why act like you were some sadistic, evil girl?" Lisse grinned.

"Oh, that wasn't really an act." "You were so cute I couldn't help myself." Mavis groaned. "But really, we had to know if you really had the power to help us and the only way to do that was to push you to the breaking point." Mavis considered everything Lisse and Akame had said. It all seemed to come together but there was still one problem.

"I don't even know how to tap into that power." "I wasn't even conscious when I did it before." "How am I supposed to help you?" Lisse and Akame both looked at each other and grinned. Lisse grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"So you're saying if we can help you learn to tap into that power consciously then you will help us?" Mavis looked from the girl to Akame then to her hands. Her eyes fell on a shining gold ring with an intricate Fairy Tail insignia inscribed in the metal. She pulled it off reading the inscription engraved on the inner ring. _For the light that binds my darkness, walk with me through eternity._ She felt her resolve returning as she read those words. She would do whatever it took to return to her love. She nodded her head.

"Where do we start?"

 ** _Thank you to everyone who has supported me in this story so far. I would love to hear some peoples thoughts on how the story is going and what you think might be happening. Please, if you have the time write a review. If you want you can even PM me and I will always answer. Thanks again!_**


	12. The Battle Begins

Lisse stood at the entrance to the guild looking out at the horizon. The burning orb was slowly descending. She sighed and closed her stark blue eyes feeling the wind blow through her hair. She tried to quiet her mind but there was just too much going on. It had already been days and Mavis was showing no signs of improvement. If she didn't learn to control her power at will Lisse feared everything they had done would be for nothing. It was only a matter of time before Fairy Tail stormed the castle. As much as she hated to admit it, without Lumen Histoire they would fail and be stuck under Gray's rule forever. The air around her stirred. She felt his presence before he spoke.

"You shouldn't worry so much or you'll put wrinkles in that pretty face of yours." You could easily pick out the arrogance in his tone. Always so full of himself, she thought.

"It's about time you showed up, Haos." The ageless blonde stood beside her watching the light fade in the distance.

"I had some last minute…errands to run." She shook her head.

"I'm not even going to ask." She refused to look at him for fear of her own reaction to him. She could already feel her heart picking up just by him being near. "Look, I'm only here because I was ordered to intercept Fairy Tail with you." "If I had any other choice, I would prefer to be as far away from you as possible." Haos chuckled. He was less than convinced by her words.

"You do not have to lie to me, you know." "The truth is I am quite fond of you as well my dear." Lisse quickly turned toward his voice to argue but he was no longer there. She felt warm breath on her neck and jumped turning back. Her lips met his briefly but it was enough to make her heart skip. She leaped away hiding her face which had begun to burn bright red.

"Haos!" "How dare you use your powers on me!" She was tripping over her words, failing to form a complete sentence but Haos smiled and looked over her shoulder.

"Ah, so it begins."

The massive structure before them was breathtaking. Zeref found himself wondering if the building was around when he was emperor of Alvarez. As they drew closer he began to feel uneasy. The clouds overhead began to swirl. The air had suddenly become dense and super-heated. Zeref reacted quickly and created an anti-magic barrier with his aura just in time to stop the group from being hit by a powerful lightning bolt that crashed through the ground. His eyes fell on the pair standing before them. He didn't recognize the young girl but when he saw the illusion wizard from before, he could not contain his anger. Zeref moved to charge at the man but suddenly felt a large hand against his chest. He glared at the man it was connected to.

"What are you doing, Laxus?"

"I will handle him." "Go on forward and leave them to me." Zeref momentarily forgot about his rage and turned on the man.

"Absolutely not!" "You can't take them alone."

"He wont be alone." A silver haired beauty stepped in front of them and smiled. Mirajane and Laxus were a formidable team but he wasn't sure even they would be enough. He was about to argue the fact but stopped short as Mira reminded him why they had come in the first place.

"Go save your girl, Zeref." "We will handle these two." Zeref still didn't like the idea of leaving them but she had a point. He had to find Mavis. He thanked them both quickly and charged ahead with the others not far behind. The small blue haired girl tried to stop them but Laxus and Mira grabbed her attention with a supercharged lightning bolt of their own. "We are your opponents."  
The group moved quickly through the castle but its maze-like interior was proving difficult to navigate. He could see a light shining through the cracks of an upcoming door and entered to find a vacant space with a door on either side. His instincts were screaming at him that this was a trap but they proceeded anyway. As they approached the door Zeref felt a change in the ethernano particles in the air. As soon as they touched the handle the door became covered crystal. The sharp mineral barely missed skewering the lot but they were able to jump away right on time. High pitched laughter echoed around them and a petite girl with light green princess curls and amethyst eyes fell dropped from above. She landed gracefully and flipped her hair.

"Nobody is going anywhere." "If you wish to proceed, you must defeat me though I doubt you can." Gajeel stepped forward along with Levi.

"We've got this one." "Go on ahead." Lily also transformed into his warriorform and stood by them both. Zeref just nodded and turned to the door. Natsu's eyes burned as his Dragon King's flames surrounded him. The girl laughed.

"Please, nothing can penetrate my crystal walls." Her taunts were immediately silenced as Natsu's flames effortlessly burned through the crystal revealing the exit. She began throwing a tantrum as the rest of the guild continued on through the castle. "That's not fair!" Gajeel and Levi gave each other a look that didn't need clarification before preparing themselves for battle.

Zeref felt Mavis' presence stronger than before and it was only getting stronger as they approached the next room. As they rounded the corner they met with a familiar face. Her crimson eyes met theirs lazily. They all just stood there staring for a short while in silence. The girl waved.

"Hi." The groups jaws almost hit the floor. How could someone be so detatched from remorse or feeling?

"What do you mean, hi?" "Is that really all you have to say after what you did?" The girl tilted her head confused.

"I'm not sure what you mean." Wendy was about over her limit of patience. She didn't even hold back as she channeled the air around her and sent it flying at the girl. Sigilia didn't even flinch as the air scattered after being hit with another current from above. A young boy with spiky green hair falling to his neck and emerald eyes stepped from the shadows.

"Sigilia, you really should pay attention when the enemyis in front of you." The girl shrugged.

"I knew you were there." Gale brought his hand to his face.

"That is not the…never mind."

Zeref remembered his voice but to think it was just a kid. He didn't think he could bring himself to fight a kid if he wanted to and Mavis would have his head.

"Can I leave these two to you, Wendy?" She nodded. Carla took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze. "Weve got this."

They had picked up speed checking every room they came across but the more he thought about it, Mavis wouldn't be in some easily accessible common room anyway. They finally ran into a massive room encased in ice. A frozen throne sat between two intricately carved pillars with a swirling pattern. A lone figure stood from the throne as they entered. Zeref tempered his rage and headed toward the exit. He could feel her. She was close and he wasn't going to waste time with this brat. Gray was baffled by his dismissal.

"Where do you think you're going?" He stopped and looked back over his shoulder.  
"This is not my battle." Before Gray had time to process those words, the ground liquified throwing him off balance. Erza was suddenly above him swinging her sword down as hard as she could. Gray reacted quickly creating an ice blade of his own just in time to deflect it but Erza's power thrust him into the ground. He recovered just in time to lock blades with her.

"This ends today!"

"Natsu and Zeref had finally found what they were looking for. A metallic door too heavy to push so it was probably an automatic one. On the left was a terminal with some type of retinal scanner. That wasn't going to stop him. Mavis was on the other side of that door. He took a step forward and got the familiar sensation of that man's monstrous aura. A blinding light appeared before them and Zeref shielded his eyes. It was as if he burned through space itself to appear before them. He felt his heart race as he faced the one person who had scared him in his life. Akame Aiden.

"I am sorry but I cannot allow you to proceed any further."


	13. Showdown! Lightning and Deception

She kicked the air managing to dodge yet another bolt of electricity. She really didn't want to fight this guy but she had her orders just like everyone else. Another bolt flew in her direction. This time she didn't even bother to dodge. Instead, she created a neutralizing charge in the palm of her hand and caught it. The blonde mans eyes widened as she hurled the bolt like Zeus himself back at him. He managed to avoid a fatal blow but she could tell it took its toll on him. She smiled in spite of herself and dropped to the ground landing gracefully on her toes.

"Have you had enough yet?" The man was not amused. He moved quickly, quicker than a man of his size should have been capable and grabbed her by the throat. Lisse felt the electricity pour from his hand and spread through her body like wildfire. She cried out as every muscle in her body convulsed. He released her violently thrusting her into the ground. She winced at the pain but quickly recovered to her feet. The man sneered.

"Had enough yet?" Lisse smiled but it was not genuine, more of a go screw yourself kind of smile. She was far from out of this fight. She closed her eyes taking a deep breath. She feltthe electrical impulses travel through her body eventually igniting the nerve center in her brain. Her mind began to work ten times faster than before. In minutes, she had already produced the perfect plan to take him down. She appeared to the naked eye to vanish before appearing once again directly in front of him. She was actually just moving faster than the human eye could follow. Using her new strength, she sent a volley of strikes into his mid-section. He winced at the impact but it wouldn't be enough to bring him down. She vanished once again this time appearing behind him and repeating the volley into his spine. She alternated between attacking his front and back until the signs of fatigue began to show on him. His breathing had picked up and his movements were slowing down and losing precision. She decided it was a good time to end their fight. She jumped back sending bolts of lightning into the ground around him. The dust rose concealing her finishing blow.

"Here goes nothing." She channeled all of her power into a single point condensing it into one deadly attack. She charged through the dust aiming for the man's heart. She felt her fist collide with bare skin and realized something was wrong. The dust cleared and she couldn't believe her eyes. He blocked it?

Laxus took a deep breath. It was pretty incredible how much power this tiny girl had but he was the strongest in Fairy Tail and he would not be defeated so easily. The girl's shock was apparent on her face.

"What…how?"

"Did you think you were the only one who could manipulate electricity that way?" "Seconds before you created that smokescreen I sent a charge to my brain kicking my senses into overdrive just in time to block your attack." "Now, I'm not sure what your reasons are for kidnapping our first master but my grandfather, Yuri Dreyar vowed to protect Mavis until the day he died." "Now I, Laxus Dreyar make that same vow." "I will bring her home!"

The girl was quite something, Haos thought to himself. To be able to perform multiple take-overs with such speed and precision was quite an impressive feat. He watched from his world hidden in the shadows as she tore through his illusions come to life. He didn't really know why he chose bone-like creatures of all things but they just seemed appropriate. The woman was having no trouble defeating his creations one by one. It was about time for a change of pace. He waved his fingers and watched as she slipped through his illusion only to be struck by the next one. He chuckled as she cried out rolling to the ground and struggling to stand again. He had to admit he admired her mettle. It was almost time. They would have to finish this fight soon and report to Akame for the final phase of the plan. The girl took another hit and collapsed. This time when she tried to stand her limbs gave out on her and she fell to the ground motionless. His illusions surrounded her ready to end her life. Such a beauty, he thought and snapped his fingers. The creatures vanished replaced by Haos himself. He knelt beside Mira and took her chin in his fingers.

"You all underestimated us." The girl glared at him for a moment before her glare turned into a sweet smile.

"Tricked ya."

Mira knew beating these illusions was getting her nowhere but after her discussion with Zeref she knew it was the only way. Her mind wandered back to the inn where Fairy Tail was discussing how to defeat the wizards holding Mavis captive.

"Absolutely not!" "The illusion wizard is mine." Laxus bellowed when Zeref suggested she take on Haos. Zeref just shook his head.

"He already knows your power too well and besides our intel tells us they possess a lightning wielding wizard. I need you to take her on." Laxus still had his doubts.

"Zeref, you know what that man is capable of." "No offense to Mira but she's no match for him." Mira had gotten offended at the time but she wasn't going to argue. Zeref just smiled.

"That is exactly why she is facing him and also the main reason she is going to win." Zeref went on to explain that to the enemy Mira would look weak and would have a better chance of getting him to let his guard down. Once he does that, the fight will be over. You'll know what to do then. Mira nodded her agreement. It was actually a really good plan, just what she would expect from Zeref.

She brought her focus back to the present and took out another creature. It was only a matter of time now. She smiled inwardly as she slipped through the creature in front of her. Sharp pain went through her body as she felt its claws tear into her back. She winced at the pain but it wasn't enough. She had to make this as convincing as possible. She took a few more blows before deciding it was a good time to fall. She even made a show of trying to get back up before collapsing. She felt more than saw the illusions disappear and then cold fingers lifting her by her chin. She smiled at his taunt and performed a partial take-over splitting open the skin at his sternum. The man panicked and tried to disappear again but realized something was wrong. Mira stood easily and brushed the dirt from her dress.

"What…What have you done?" She slowly approached him performing a full body take-over as she grew closer. He tried to back away but his body would not listen. Mira closed the gap between them in seconds and grabbed his face with her clawed hands.

"This take-over is unique to all of my others. I learned it while facing a dark guild known as Tartaros." Haos' eyes widened in disbelief. Her ability allows me to control my opponents every move without fail. I just needed to mark you first. The sheer terror in the man's eyes was painful to her. She didn't like this way of fighting. She didn't really like fighting in general but she would do what she had to do to save Mavis. "So, now that you understand what you're up against…her body changed back to normal and she smiled. "Would you mind stopping this senseless fighting?" Haos was still frightened but this girl did not realize the vulnerable position she had just put herself in as he witnessed the scene progressing over her shoulder. He smiled.

"You are right, this fight is over." Mira paused confused by his comment but then she felt it, a rise in temperature behind her. She turned in time to see a blinding flash of light and then nothing. She blacked out.


	14. Dragon's Roar

Lisse was taking a beating now. This man was no joke. She hadn't expected him to use her own trick against her. He was lightning fast. That along with his monstrous strength was a dangerous combination. She took another blow and hit the ground hard. She struggled to stand and he lifted her from the ground by her blouse. He probably could have finished her then but his face showed no signs of deadly intent. He sighed and dropped her into the dirt.

"Are we done with this yet?" "You have to have realized by now you can't beat me." Lisse was irritated now. Her cheeks burned crimson.

"What leads you to that conclusion?" Laxus sighed again.

"I'm guessing that stunt you pulled before was you trump card right?" "If that's all you've got you might as well just give up." "I have no desire to fight a little girl anymore." Lisse was pissed now. She stood up quickly and dusted herself off.

"I wouldn't take me so lightly if I were you." Her voice took on a deadly tone as her mark began to spread across her torso. Laxus sensed the danger and created some distance between them just in time to miss being struck by black lightning.

"You said my trump card was the trick I pulled before but unfortunately for you…" A strange mark began to glow on her body. Laxus felt it. A strange puls flooded through his system. He didn't have time to wonder what it was before his whole body betrayed him and he fell to his knees. Lisse moved her hand in a twisting motion and Laxus started to cough up blood. Lisse laughed out loud as her opponent writhed in agony. She was toying with him now. She sped up his heartbeat to 300 bpms then just as quickly slowed it to below 20. Laxus' body couldn't handle the extreme changes in his body. He involuntarily puked up blood. Lisse smiled, her true nature showing at last. She was always a sadist at heart. She enjoyed causing pain to her enemies and she would not say sorry for it. Her eyes trained on the silver-haired girl over his shoulder. She sneered. That girl really beat Haos? Laxus tried with all his strength to get control of his body once more but it was no use. Lisse waved her hand causing him to stand and turn around. She then made him lift his arm palm out. The color drained from his face as he realized what he was about to do. He tried to call out to her but his voice wouldn't cooperate. The lightning left his palm and traveled in a straight line right at Mira. He watched in horror as her body convulsed then fell to the ground still. The world was quiet. An energy Laxus never felt before erupted from him and he was suddenly able to move again. Lisse cried out as he broke her spell but none of that mattered.

 _Go to her_.

That was the only thought playing in his head on a loop. He finally reached her and fell to his knees pulling her limp body to his chest. Her heartbeat was faint but still there. She opened her eyes slightly and smiled up at him. His face filled with tears as he held her. She felt so small in his hands like a fragile baby. She touched his cheek gently before her eyes closed and it fell to her side.

For some reason one memory came to him. Who was he kidding, he knew exactly why this specific moment haunted him at that moment. He was on the balcony of the guild leaning over the banister when she called his name softly. He turned to see her in a black nightgown and slippers. She seemed reluctant to approach so he smiled and waved her forward. She took her place under his arm and cuddled close.

"The day is coming soon," she whispered. Laxus only nodded. Mira and he had been getting closer the past few years and he found her presence comforting to say the least. She was usually so bubbly and free-spirited but tonight was different. She seemed nervous for some reason. Laxus ceased leaning over the edge and turned to her. He got lost in her eyes for a moment but he could definitely see she was scared.

"What's wrong?" "You aren't really acting like yourself." Mira averted her eyes quickly and stepped out of his arms. Her fingers fiddled with the fabric of her nightgown. She started pacing and biting her lip in the process. Before she knew it she hat started babbling.

"I…I was in my room thinking about the trip coming up, which by the way, we still need to pick up a few things from the market." "Everyone is going to need food as well as an extra set of clothes because you know how easy it is for Natsu to ruin clothes and god knows how much that man can eat…" As cute as this attempt to avoid the question by rambling was, Laxus knew she would feel better once she got what she needed to say out in the open.

"Mira…Mi—Mira!" "You're going in a million different directions here it's hard to keep up." "Slow down, take a deep breath and tell me what's on your mind." Mira did as he said and was surprised how much better she felt afterward.

"Okay, I was thinking about you and Fairy Tail and how were all like a big happy family when I started to feel sick." Laxus frowned at this. "Not like that silly." "I went to see Polyusica to see if she could tell me what was wrong when…"

"When what?" Mira hesitated again. "For the love of god Mira, spit it out!"

"She told me I'm pregnant!" Laxus lost the ability to speak. He suddenly felt dizzy and leaned against the railing. Mira cautiously approached him. He finally regained his composure and took her hand. His eyes filled with tears of joy as he pulled her to him.

"I'm gonna be a father?" Mira didn't know what she was expecting.

"You're not mad?" Laxus let out a deep chuckle and smiled. "Why on earth would I be mad?" "This is the happiest moment of my life!" Mira's face lit up and she squealed.

"You mean it?" He pulled her in for a kiss. When they broke apart she giggled and cried out. "Were gonna have a baby!"

Something snapped inside of him back in the present. His body suddenly flooded with overwhelming energy and the ground around him began to quake. The ethernano particles swirled around his body becoming so dense they were easily visible to the naked eye. It was like a storm had come to life and taken his body as a host. Lisse realized what was going on and backed off pulling Haos with her. His eyes were blood red and his skin had hardened into a reptilian scaled body. Lisse shook her head and stared in awe.

"That's not possible." Haos spun her around.

"Lisse, what is this?" His voice was barely audible over the roar Laxus had just released. She tried to shake her fear but the idea of what they were about to face was terrifying. Her voice came out breathy as if only a whisper.

"Dragon Force."


	15. Bloodline Guardian, Shattered Crystal

"Dragon Force?" "Are you sure?" Lisse nodded without saying a word still unable to tear her eyes from Laxus. "How is that even possible?" "I thought second generation Dragon Slayers couldn't unleash that power."

"That is what everyone thought but it seems we were all wrong." "Laxus Dreyer has become the first." They stood and watched as an out of control Laxus began tearing up the landscape. He stopped and sniffed the air before whipping his head in their direction.

"What are we gonna do Lisse?" She thought hard about that question. There was one option they could consider, she thought as her fingers played with the charm around her neck. It was a gamble but it might be their only choice in the matter. She gave Haos a hard look and held up her charm then pointed at his. His eyes sparked with realization. "No…there has to be another way."

"We may not have a choice Haos." "It's the only way we can stand up to him in this state." Laxus appeared before them as they were deciding and swung his arm. The impact sent both of them flying. Lisse regained her balance and landed swiftly while Haos tumbled to the dirt. She sent out a shockwave to combat the one Laxus sent their way. This fight wasn't gonna last long either way. Laxus landed feet from them causing the earth to shake. Lisse trembled in fear as he slowly approached her. She was starting to lose consciousness from the sheer overwhelming power emanating from him. Haos had already dropped. She closed her eyes and grabbed the charm.

"Wait!" Lisse opened her eyes to see that the girl Mira had woken up and stood in front of Laxus arms spread wide.

"Have you lost your mind?" "He'll kill you, you have to get out of the way." The girl looked over her shoulder and smiled. She turned back to the man and her tone was sweet and understanding.

"Laxus, this isn't you." "You are the strongest man I know." "You aren't going to let this power consume you like this are you?" Laxus kept moving forward until he towered above Mira. He raised his hands ready to strangle her.

"You have to fight this for me, for our child." This made Laxus freeze. His consciousness started to break through.

"Mi…Mira…" His eyes changed back to normal and the monstrous aura dissipated. "Mira, you're okay!" He fell to his knees and wrapped his arms around her. He couldn't hold back his tears. "I thought I lost you."

"Shhh, it's okay I'm fine I promise." "We're both fine." Lisse shook off the terror and stood up dusting herself off.

"Well, I believe we bought enough time." "We'll leave you to your disgusting lovey-dovey moment." She picked Haos up supporting him by his arm over her shoulder and disappeared in a flash of light.

The sound of metal echoed around the room as crystal collided with iron. Gajeel leaped back narrowly missing being impaled by the falling rocks. Haven didnt really understand why but the man really irritated her. She zoned out shooting attack after attack blindly. The girl with him had moved out of her sight. She was surprised when the rope tightened around her waist and locked her arms by her side.

"Nice work Levy, Gajeel shouted and sucked in the air around them." "IRON DRAGONS ROAR!" A blast of dark iron-laced dragon breath erupted from Gajeel and blasted Haven with full force. The smoke cleared and the girl dropped to the floor. Gajeel grinned and held his thumb up at Levy. She smiled back but her smile quickly turned to alarm as she saw the girl behind Gajeel stand and hurl a crystal shard. It pierced his back through to the stomach and Gajeel let out a roar of anguish. His feet gave out on him and he crumpled to his knees. Levy moved to approach him but his voice called out to her.  
"Don't…" It came out in a blood-soaked rasp and was firm but gentle at the same time to her. "Don't get in the middle of this, please." Levy shook her head. She mustered up all of her willpower to stay where she was. Tears began to flow from her eyes but the look she threw him said it all. Don't you dare die on me. Gajeel sent her back a cocky grin and rose to his feet. He spat blood on the floor and walked slowly towards his opponent. Have laughed mockingly.

"Are you serious?" "You really intend to keep fighting me don't you?" "I don't know whether to be impressed or just plain annoyed." She rushed in front of him and hit him with a well placed shard in his leg. This time there was no reaction. "What is this?" Gajeel wasted no time with words. He pulled back his fist and sent a bone crunching jab into the girls stomach. The impact sent her flying. She crashed through a cascade of crystal she created and slowly got to her feet. Her mind began to race as her inner thoughts tried to figure out what just happened. He didn't even harden his hand so why did that punch feel like she had been hit by a meteor hurling through space?

Gajeel clenched his fist stretching out the muscles in his hands. "You are probably wondering why that punch hurt like hell, right?" "I've fought plenty of people and made a lot of friends and enemies." "I've been stepped on, burned, drowned, blown up, you name it." "Over the past years, I have been honing my skills as a dragonslayer and I've learned how to use my power to its full potential." "Before, I could only harden the outside of my body which still made it possible for my enemies to deal a fatal blow if they strike hard enough." "Mastering my power as a Dragonslayer, I can now harness the power of the iron in my bloodstream to protect my vital organs and bones." "This process is called Bloodline Guardian." "I activated it right after your first shard pierced my back." "I've gotta say, that stung like a bitch." Haven began to throw a fit hurling shard after shard at Gajeel with no effect. Gajeel slowly walked forward closing the gap between them. Finally, he was right in front of her. She glared up at him. She was not about to let this man humiliate her. With what seemed like a desperate maneuver, she threw down a crystal sphere which exploded into smoke. She leapt high above the cloud and looked around until she found what she was looking for. She grinned.

"You may be untouchable iron dog, but she isn't." She summoned a large shard and hurled it at Levy. Levy tried to move but Haven had surrounded her feet with hardened crystal. The shard drew closer and she closed her eyes letting out a scream. Gajeel made it just in time and knocked the shard away. Haven snickered. "Gotcha"

The crystal began to wrap itself around his arms and legs pulling tight. He struggled to free himself but the mineral wouldn't break. She had caught him. Haven lowered herself gently to the ground and stepped in front of him. "It really has been fun but I think it's time we end this little game of ours. She walked a short distance from him and began to gather crystal in her palm. The crystal gathered into a sharp spear about the size of a skyscraper. She aimed carefully targetting his heart. Gajeel began to sweat. Even with his bloodline guardian active, a direct hit through the heart would still kill him. He was done for. Levy…I'm sorry. Haven hurled the spear as hard as she could and anticipated her victory…

"BREAK!" 


	16. Awakening

p style="text-align: left;" Gajeel struggled against the rocks but he didn't have the strength to break them. He watched as the girl drew in the crystal forming a giant spear and poising it to pierce his heart. He closed his eyes. If this was how he died, he wanted the last thing on his mind to be her. Her creamy white skin complemented by her marine blue hair that fell gracefully upon her neck. He imagined her sweet smile as the enemy thrust the spear. This is it./p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Break!"/p  
p style="text-align: left;"br / He opened his eyes to Levy standing in front of him. The light reflected off of the now shattered crystal and gave her skin the impression of glowing. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "How did you do that!?" Haven stared in astonishment then broke out in a fit. She reminded Levy of a small child throwing a temper tantrum. She ignored the girl and turned back to Gajeel. She dropped to her knees and touched the crystal with her fingertips. It shattered and released him to fall into her arms. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Levy you can't fight her." "I don't know what I would do if..." Levy touched his lips gently and he stopped mid-sentence. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Don't you think I feel the same way?" She didn't sound angry. Her voice was filled with nothing but love. She smiled and pulled away from him. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "You've been protecting me for so long, never letting me join the fight." "I know it's because you don't want me to get hurt but now it's my turn..." She stood up and faced the enemy. "To protect you!"br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Fine, you want to fight me little girl?" "I'll make sure to kill you slowly." The ground began to shake. Levy saw it coming from a mile away. The crystal exploded out of the ground and she jumped out of the way. Her hand brushed the ground and she charged at Haven. Haven sent a volley of shards at her. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Reflect" the shards bounced off an invisible barrier and shot back at Haven who squealed and barely missed being skewered. She was getting angrier by the second. Levy noticed and began to push harder. Haven sent a large crystal spike at her. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Sword" an intricate sword appeared in her hand and she easily split the spike in half. Levy closed the distance and touched the ground at Havens feet. "Crumble" the ground caved in where she was standing and piles of rubble fell on her. Levy's breathing was quickening. She wasn't used to Active Script yet. It was definitely taking a toll but if she kept this up she might be able to beat her. Haven shot out from the rubble and grabbed her by the throat. She slammed her down hard. Levy coughed up blood. Gajeel moved to help her but Levy shook her head and mouthed something his way. "Trust me". br / Haven sneered and lifted her by the throat. "You were quite the interesting opponent but your time is up." A large crystal blade appeared in Havens hand and she placed the tip at her throat. "Any last words?" Levy opened her eyes and glared at the girl. Then,she grinned. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Detonate" The world stopped for an instant and all around the room exploded in a stream of fire. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" When the smoke cleared,Gajeel searched frantically for any sign of Levy. He finally saw her stand and face him. She had covered herself in some kind of fireproof material and was completely safe. She smiled and started walking in his direction. Suddenly a malicious aura began to fill the room. Levy turned back and froze with fear. Not only was Haven completely unharmed, but her body was covered in crystal forming a monstrous body. Her eyes had gone from the brilliant violet to a deep dark abyss. Levy's legs gave out and she fell to her knees. That was everything she had. Haven stepped in front and stood over her. All Levy could do was stare into those cold, lifeless eyes. She raised her palm and shot a barrage of shards forward. Levy closed her eyes tight, waiting for death but it never came. She opened her eyes and gasped with horror. Gajeel was standing over her bleeding from head to toe. The same grin he always carried was plastered on his face. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Who said you could go and die on me, huh?" Levy couldn't speak. She could only stare at his riddled body and the tears began to flow. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Why?" Her voice broke and she could no longer hold her head up. "You always do this." "Do you want to die,Gajeel?" Gajeel gently touched her cheek and she leaned into his palm. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "It's more like I have something to die for now." "But don't worry, I'm not going to die here." Gajeel kissed her lips and turned back to Haven. He could tell her mind had been taken over by her power. It was about to get hectic in here. "Stand back Levy." "I've been training to use this for 7 years and I finally get the chance to let loose." A dark aura began to materialize around Gajeel. Levy decided to take his advice and put some distance between them./p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Alright, let's get started."br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" Meanwhile elsewhere in the castle...br /br / Lisse was patrolling the hallways with Haos. She couldn't stop thinking about the fight with the Lightning Dragonslayer and the take-over wizard. The emotion she felt from those two was overwhelming. She didn't think she could ever have a love like that. Her eyes fell on Haos. He may be unbearable but she had to admit he was pretty handsome. She felt a spike in dark power and her demonslayer mark started to burn. Haos grabbed where his mark was as well. br / "Lisse, did you feel that?" She could only nod. She cast a worried glance behind her down the corridor they just left. br / /p  
p style="text-align: left;" "Haven"./p 


	17. Unexpected Outcome

Levy watched as the dark aura began to surround Gajeel. It wasn't a sinister feeling. He was still her same Gajeel but it was dark. The earlier scars from his battle had already begun to heal as he casually strolled forward with the confidence of a King. In a way that was a good way to describe him. Bathed in the dark, powerful aura and surrounded in armor made from his own blood he truly was the King of Shadows. Gajeel stared into his opponents eyes. As he gazed into them, the emptiness was apparent. He began to feel a semblance of pity.  
"Look at you." "There isn't a shred of consciousness to note." Gajeel shook his head and summoned a sword of blood from his body. "I should put you out of your misery." He raised his blade and brought it down swiftly. Levy couldn't follow the movement but she did see a shockwave spill forward from the slash. Haven, or whatever was controlling her, sneered and deflected the blast with one hand. Gajeel grinned. "I didn't think it would be that easy."

Before her eyes, the two disappeared. No, thats not quite right, they were simply moving too fast for her eyes to follow. Levy sighed and held out her fingers. With a twitch of her wrist she cast a trace spell and just like that, her eyes could follow the fight. Gajeel seemed to have Haven on the ropes. He was clearly the superior fighter but watching Haven's movements had her feeling uneasy. Suddenly her grin widened into something almost feral. She clapped her hands sending a shockwave of her own. Unlike her, however, the shockwave had more of an effect on Gajeel. He was thrown hard into the rubble and blood spurted from his mouth. He coughed an ugly guttural sound escaping his throat. Levy look on with worry as he continued to fight. The more she watched the more it became apparent. Haven was toying with him. Gajeel was giving it all he had but Haven looked as if she was barely fazed. Another realization struck as she watched the girl. Her consciousness was slowly returning.

Haven was struggling. The girl had really pushed her over the edge. She no longer had any control over what her body was doing. She watched as if looking through a fogged glass as the Dragonslayer mage fought tooth and nail against her demonized self. She knew it was no use but it still bothered her that she wasn't going to beat him as herself. She really wanted to try out her new power from awakening but she was stuck behind a transparent barrier of consciousness. Something was weird though. The image was growing clearer and she seemed to lose the sense of numbness from before. Excitement reeled within her. She was taking back control. Just one more push…and…got it! She snapped out of the demonic control and caught Gajeel's blade. She smiled sweetly which threw Gajeel off for a moment.

"Heh, what are you smiling about?" Haven closed her eyes and took on her previous air of superiority.

"I was just thinking how cute it was that you were trying so hard for something that was inevitably futile." This made Gajeel grin

"Well, look at little miss vocabulary over here." "Tell me, what makes my effort so futile?" A sinister gleam sparkled in her eyes as she pulled his blade closer.

"You haven't even seen a fraction of what I am capable of yet." Gajeel felt the aura of danger and leapt away from her. His sword and armor suddenly began to lose form and fall to the floor.

"What is this?"

"Decomposition, it's one of my most effective abilities." "I can break down any material as long as I know what it is composed of." "Water, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, hormones, vitamins and cellular waste as well as gases such as nitrogen, oxygen and carbon dioxide." "These are all the chemicals and compounds within your blood and of course iron which is obviously your main weapon of choice." "With this knowledge there is no way you can fight me anymore." "There is also the fact that I've been awakened so my power has increased exponentially." Gajeel had had enough of this girl. He moved quick as lightning striking her in the abdomen with his hardened gauntlets. Haven spit up blood and recoiled from the hit.

How can he move so fast, she thought? Gajeel's expression was ice cold. He was done playing games with this woman. He sent a signal to Levy and she nodded in recognition. Haven wasn't going down easily but if this worked, this fight was over. Haven began an onslaught of crystal shards. Gajeel did his best to dodge but she used her decomposition power to break down his iron armor. Each shard that connected felt like knives tearing through his flesh. He dropped to his knees and slumped with exhaustion. The onslaught ceased and Haven moved in for the kill. She picked him up by the collar.  
"Any last words?"

"Just…one….BOOM!" Levy had moved in close and was now standing behind Haven. She touched her temple with her fingertips.

"Concussion" The room stilled for a moment. Her attack didn't make any outward noise but she imagined on the inside of the girl's mind was a screaming pain. She crumpled before them and dropped Gajeel. Levy was quick to jump on him. "We did it!" Gajeel's expression softened. He touched her cheek gently and smiled.

"Yeah we did, I couldn't have done it without you." She responded with a blush and a giggle then buried her face in his chest. "Levy…we have to keep moving." She nodded and he stood helping her to her feet. They both approached the exit without looking back.


	18. Wait For Me, My Friends

"Carla watch out!"

Wendy and Carla were locked in a heated battle with two of the youngest members of Devils Bane. Sigilia Arashi and Gale Niohara were tougher than they looked. From the time they started fighting, Wendy used her augmenting ability to increase the processing speed of her mind to gather data while she fought. From what she could tell, Sigilia could manipulate shadows around her as well as condense that darkness into a solid form to attack directly. Gale's power at first glance seemed to be simple wind manipulation but there was more to it than that. His control over the air was more than just manipulating wind but Wendhy hadn't been able to piece it all together yet. She leapt back missing being cut by a hair. She was so distracted by the wind that she didn't see the shadows moving below her. A tendril wrapped itself around her ankle and pulled her to the ground hard. She felt her ankle twist and fell to her knees. Gale appeared above her. His arm was surrounded by an air current spinning fast enough to create a solid blade.  
"Can we be done with this now?" "I would rather not hurt you if I can help it but if we keep going I might not be able to hold back much longer." Wendy glared up at him.

"Why are you both doing this?" "What could you possibly gain from helping Gray with this?" Sigilia stepped to Gale's side.

"I'm afraid you misunderstand." "We have no loyalty towards Gray Fullbuster." Wendy's eyes widened.

"Then why…?"

"We are simply defending ourselves." "Did you forget that you are the one who attacked us?" Gale put his hand on Sigilia's shoulder. She quickly closed her mouth and shook her head.

"In any case," Gale added. "I can't just let you walk out of here." "Our master needs to know about this intrusion and decide what to do with you."

"Your master?" "Isn't Gray your master?" Sigilia stared at her confused.

"Were you not listening when I said we bear no allegiance to him?" "Our true master is…"  
"That's enough Lia!" She looked back at him.  
"Why do you keep interrupting me Gale?" "I was simply explaining to her that we have another master."  
Gale's frustration was apparent as he pulled her away from Wendy. They seemed to be arguing about something but Wendy had a feeling the girl had no idea she was doing anything wrong. She took this opportunity to quickly heal her ankle. She could see Carla off aways concealing her presence. Just a little bit longer and she will have stored enough energy to change the tide of this fight. She wasn't the strongest fighter but she did have one trick up her sleeve that may give her a chance.

"Three…two…one…now Carla!"  
"Right!" Carla leapt from the rocks and spread her wings. She flew over and picked Wendy from the ground carrying her to safety. "Are you okay Wendy?" She smiled and nodded.

"Just fine." Wendy stood and looked down the rocks at Gale and Sigilia. He seemed a little shocked but she was as unfazed as expected. "I'm sorry," she called down! "I didn't want to do this but you left me with few options." "I will try to end this quickly." the air around them began to flow quickly into her body. Gale grew nervous as all of the air particles gathered in a surge around Wendy's body. She took a deep breath and opened her glowing pink eyes. Her hair was resonating between her normal brown and a bright cherry blossom pink. "Dragon Force!" The world stilled around them as she channeled all of the power she now possessed into one overwhelming attack. Gale tried to cancel out the power but it was too much. He did the only thing he could do and covered Sigilia's body with his in order to take on most of the damage. The dust settled and Wendy reverted back to her normal form. Her legs failed her and she fell to the ground exhausted. Carla caught her and leaned her against a nearby wall. Wendy smiled weakly. "Thank you Carla." Carla smiled back.

"You idiot, that was reckless." "What were you thinking letting loose like that?" "You're completely spent."  
"Did I get them?"

Sigilia opened her eyes. The shock from the blast had knocked her temporarily unconscious. Her head was still spinning. She could feel a heavy weight on her chest. She finally gained some cognizance and realized the weight on her chest…was Gale! He looked really bad. Something snapped inside of her and she blacked out.

Wendy tried to stand but Carla pushed her back down.

"Where do you think you're going?"

"I have to heal them before the damage to them causes more problems." She moved to stand again but Carla wasn't having it.  
"Absolutely not!" "Are you trying to get yourself killed?"  
"Carla I can't just leave them like that." "If I can help them, I've got to do something." She tried to stand again but Carla forced her back down.  
"Carla! I…" Wendy looked into her friends eyes and realized behind her glare, there was a sadness she couldn't deny. She was causing her so much pain putting herself at risk as she was. Carla closed her eyes and sighed.  
"You're so stubborn you know that?" "Wait here, I'll bring them to you for healing." Carla turned to leap off of the ridge but was met by the girl Sigilia. Her eyes had gone completely black as well as her skin. Any consciousness she had before was now gone and they were looking at the manifestation of her demon soul. With a single strike Carla was incapacitated. Wendy cried out for her friend but still couldn't move all that well. She laid there helpless as the demon posessing Sigilia approached her. As she approached, Wendy noticed the space around her ripping open and pulling in the objects around her. She could feel the cold grip of death as the pressure built around her. It pulled at her heart until it was almost unbearable and then stopped suddenly. Wendy opened her eyes to see the girl from the guilds entrance standing before her with Sigilia's unconscious body in her arms. She stared at the girl with a compassionate smile and sighed.

"Really, what are we gonna do with you two kids?" Haos jumped onto the ridge with Gale draped over his shoulder.  
"What do we do with her?" Lisse lifted her eyes from the girl and eyed Wendy.  
"Your friends are a little ways farther into the castle." "Once you regain the ability to move, head straight through that door and keep goin. You should run into them eventually." With that she turned on her heel and disappeared along with Gale and the other man. Wendy rested against the wall and let her power pour over her body. It wouldn't be enough to fight again but she would at least be able to keep going deeper into the guild. She finished healing and headed in the direction the girl had spoken of. "Wait for me, my friends."


	19. Ice Cold Heart

The air around the room was paper thin. The temperature was freezing and the room was nothing but solid ice. Juvia stared helpless as the two warriors traded blows. Her heart was breaking because she didn't agree with what Gray was doing but she also didn't want to see him get hurt. Erza was busy fighting off an ice-make dragon. Gray's power had really grown in such a short time. It was as if someone was augmenting his power. She rolled to the side and requipped into her fastest transformation. She then rushed forward and eliminated the dragon before drawing down her blade on Gray. A smirk crossed Gray's lips and he stepped close to where she was landing. What? He anticipated her movements? Gray sent her to the ground with one hard punch to the stomach. She hit the ground hard and rolled onto her back. She tried to roll to her feet but her limbs had been frozen solid. Gray stood over her with a satisfied look on his face.

"All these years and I never once beat you." "Now look, not even six months and i've surpassed you." "You shouldn't have gotten in my way Erza." The ice around them suddenly started to melt and solidify into a gigantic blade in Gray's hand. It was fun while it lasted but… The ground began to shake beneath them. Gray found it hard to keep his balance. The earth ripped open and a spring of water flew out of the rubble and targeted him. He found it hard to avoid getting hit and it smothered him whole. Gray grit his teeth and the water turned to ice before shattering. He hit the ground gasping for air. Soft footsteps could be heard echoing around the room as a figure appeared above him. His heart sank as his eyes met hers filled with fierce determination and power the same as always, his Juvia.

"Dont think this fight is only between you and Erza." "I don't want to fight you Gray but you left me with no choice." "This ends now!"

Echoing her threat, the ice in his hand suddenly liquified and rose up behind her in an intimidating stance. The steam from his melted ice became water and joined the torrent. Gray stared with admiration as the ocean behind her roared with the rage she was feeling inside. She was beautiful, he thought. He almost lost his resolve but flashes of Ur and the demon from his nightmares known as END steeled his resolve. He stood up and faced his beloved. The pain inside him as he prepared to do what he needed to do was almost unbearable. He took a deep breath and grasped the pendant around his neck. The cross-like trinket shattered in his hand and Gray knew this fight was over. His eyes fully blackened and his skin became porcelain white. His back opened up revealing wings of crystallized blood. His hands that Juvia had once been held tightly with, were now rough with scales and sharp talons. She stared in horror as her beloved became a monster before her eyes. Juvia shook her head as the horrible figure before her finished materializing.

"Gray, what is this?" The figured lifted his hands to his face for inspection. His movements were both human and ethereal at the same time. The creature closed its eyes and let out what seemed like a sigh of resignation.

"The form you see now is called Daedric Soul." "It is the final manifestation of a Devilslayer's magic." "I have sacrificed a lot to acquire this power in order to rid this world of END and nothing will stand in my way." His eyes fell on Juvia's face. She could see the determination in his eyes but she also saw the sadness buried deep. Maybe she could reach that part of him, she thought. She cautiously stepped closer. Gray's eyes showed slight panic as he stepped back.

"Don't!" His voice trembled slightly. "I…I'm not sure if I can hold back this power if you come any closer." Juvia was filled with renewed resolve as the realization that Gray didn't want to hurt either of them dawned on her. Without another moments hesitation, she began to walk towards him. Gray cried out in protest but she ignored him. This was the only way to get through to him. The last steps were the easiest. She closed the distance and leaned up against his chest. Her arms wrapped behind his neck and she pulled him close. Gray was motionless.

"It's okay." "I know that you would never hurt me." "You have the strength to fight this power." Gray's arms fell to his side. Juvia used the opportunity to tighten her grip around him. "See?" "I trust you Gray." "You don't need to do this anymore." "We could go home and start over again." "We could start the family we always used to talk about." Juvia felt his weight push against her. He seemed to be calming down but she didn't notice the spear of ice that Gray had created in his right hand.

Erza finally freed herself from the ice and was watching the events in front of her take place with anticipation. When she saw Gray relax her mind felt relief but her body's natural instincts of danger kicked into overdrive. She rushed to the spot they were standing . She now saw what had her alarm bells going off. Gray had formed a weapon in his hand and was preparing to pierce it through Juvia's back. She could only move so fast. She had to make it, she thought. With a burst of supernatural speed she made it in time to throw Juvia out of the way but caught the spear in her chest. Juvia slammed her head on the ground and fell unconscious. The air stilled as Gray processed what had just happened. He threw back his head and a guttural roar echoed throughout the chamber but it wasn't his own. He pinpointed the sound and realized another had entered the battlefield. Finally, he thought. Etherious Natsu Dragneel.


	20. Fire and Ice, Etherious Natsu Dragneel!

Natsu took a moment to process the events that just took place. The scene before him was like a bloody wasteland of ice and stone. He saw juvia laid out on the cold floor. His nose picked up the scent of her blood in the air but she was still breathing. He then saw Erza. Her armor had been shed and she was lying there lifeless on the ground with a spear sticking out of her chest. He finally realized, Erza was dead. His ears began to ring and he felt strong tremors in his skin. A fierce pounding in his skull sent him to his knees.

"How…How dare you…hurt ERZA!" His scream faded into a guttural roar. The entire guild began to tremble from the sheer power of that roar. Natsu's mind went as the pain got worse. He felt fire begin to rise up around him. The ice that remained from the fight before was no more. It vanished in an instant. Natsu's heat began to melt the walls themselves. The pain subsided briefly but came back even more intense. Finally, bonelike material with pointed ends pushed through his skin and protruded out of his skull. His skin hardened into diamond-like dragon scales and his eyes narrowed into slits. He looked close to what he had when he first used dragonforce but this time it was different. Gray saw the true form of END for the first time and it terrified and excited him at the same time. This was the fight he had been waiting for. He could finally get his revenge for the death of his teacher and parents.

END had begun to form. The completion of his manifestation was marked by wings made of pure flame shooting from his back. They seemed to superheat and then cool, hardening into molten rock. Gray grinned. "Well it's about ti…" His words were interrupted as Natsu, moving faster than the eye could follow, shoved his arm through Gray's stomach. He reacted quickly and created distance between them. He began to cough uncontrollably. When he took his hand away from his face it was covered with the sickly sweet scent of blood. His hand trembled and he finally got a good look at Natsu. His eyes were completely void of emotion. He seemed to alwas be moving but standing still at the same time. This was the strongest demon from the Book of Zeref. This was the culmination of all that happened in the past. He would not fall so quickly. Natsu was on the move again but this time Gray was ready. He summoned his Daedric crossbow and began launching bolts at him. Of course he knew none would connect but he had to slow him down if only just a little bit. Damn he was fast though, he thought. Natsu dodged another bolt and began taking in the air around him. Gray had seen this a million times and he was ready.

"DRAGON KING'S ROAR!"

"ICE-MAKE THOUSAND NEEDLES!"

Their attacks collided in mid air and resulted in an explosion sending them both reeling towards the opposite sides of the room. Gray felt all the pain as his body hit the floor but Natsu seemed to shrug it off and go on the attack again. He got steps from him and Gray triggered his trap. The ground beneath Natsu's feet began to glow. He eyed the reaction curiously. Gray looked at the creature with disgust. This wasn't his friend anymore. It was a monster and he would destroy it once and for all.

"ICE-MAKE HELL'S CIRCLE, DEMON-GODS TOWER!"

The ground beneath him opened up and he was swallowed in an arsenal of ice make weapons. His final attack that he had been working on for years had finally surfaced. He studied the flaws of Iced Shell and developed it perfecting the ability using his Demonslayer magic to take away the one weakness of the technique. It no longer affected the caster. In the center of the room was a pillar of Ice stretching from floor to ceiling containing the body of END. Gray deactivated his Daedric Soul and stepped before it to deal the final blow. "Goodbye, my old friend." He was preparing to deal the final blow before he saw the crack start to spread. He was barely able to miss being caught in the explosion that shattered his Demon-Gods Tower. He stared in amazement as the dust cleared and standing in the rubble was his friend. It wasn't some demonic entity that embodied every ounce of tragedy he had ever experienced. Not some monster without emotion, it was Natsu. Natsu looked around at the destruction. He finally got a really good look at Erza. She wasn't actually dead yet. They could save her if they brought her to Porlyusica. He was about to forget about Gray and do that when Wendy entered the room. That was perfect.

"Wendy!" The young girl was startled but smiled when she saw Natsu smiling and waving from the distance. He cupped his hands to resonate his voice and shouted to her. "Take care of Erza and Juvia for me please!" Wendy scanned the room and saw the two in bad conditioned. Her body moved on it's own and she made her way to their side to begin the healing. Juvia seemed to have just lost consciousness but Erza was in pretty bad shape. She had to work fast. SHe concentrated her magic and began the healing process.

Natsu was happy. He could trust Wendy to take care of Erza, he turned his attention back to Gray, while he took care of an old friend. He wiped the blood from his mouth with his knuckle. He didn't really understand but he was spent. From the looks of Gray, he wasn't doing so hot either.

"What do you say Gray?" "Lets finish this in one last attack." "We can finally see which one of us is the strongest!" Gray couldn't help but smile at this. Same old Natsu, he thought.

"Alright, but remember, you asked for it!"

They both began preparing for their final attack. Once friends, were now enemies prepared to end the others life.

"FINAL DRAGON KINGS ROAR!"

"DEMON-GODS REQUIEM!"


	21. We Are Not Your Enemy

Zeref's hands wouldn't stop shaking. Dammit, he thought. What was it about this guy that had him so spooked? The man still hadn't moved from the spot he appeared at. Zeref tightened his muscles and prepared himself for a fight…but the man wasn't giving off any blood lust. Akame sighed and pulled a couple chairs. Where the hell did he get those from?

"Have a seat Spriggan King." Zeref eyed the door to the other room. He could sense Mavis' magic behind it. "You wouldn't make it and even if you did, by the time you made it in there it would be done." "Have a seat, hear me out, and then you will see your beloved". Zeref contemplated charging the door but in the end he realized he didn't really have a choice. He didn't like it but for now he would play along. He lowered himself into the chair opposite the man. Akame poured a liquid into a mug and offered it to Zeref. He just stared not accepting the gesture. Akame sighed and placed the cup on a table that also seemed to appear out of nowhere.

"I want you to know that we are not enemies." Zeref found it hard to contain his anger. He stood abruptly.

"Not enemies?" "Are you kidding me?" "You knocked me out and kidnapped my wife." "Do you really expect me to consider you anything but an enemy?" The temperature of the air around them began to increase rapidly. Akame hadn't moved but his overwhelming aura was hard to contain.

"I suggest you sit back down." "We haven't finished our discussion." Zeref reluctantly did as he was told. He still didn't understand why he was so frightened of this man.

"The fact that we kidnapped your wife was an unfortunate necessity for our goal." Zeref tried his best to temper his rage.

"What exactly do you need her for?" "I get that you did it to lure Natsu here but there was also the possibility that only I would show up." "What then?"

"Luring END here was the goal of Gray Fullbuster." "We however have a different goal in mind." "The only reason we helped Gray with his plan was because it benefited us in the end."

"You're still not making any sense!" Zeref felt the dark aura explode from his body. "What does this have to do with Mavis!" Akame seemed to get distracted for a moment before he smiled and stood from his chair.

"We informed the lady Mavis of our plans and she agreed to help us." "If you want to understand more, I believe it would be more effective if you heard the rest from her." He gestured to the door which suddenly made a loud banging noise. Zeref didn't even hesitate. His body moved on its own as the door began to open and he saw her illuminated by the light of the room behind her. Her eyes widened in surprise before tears filled her eyes and she rushed forward to meet him.

"Zeref!" They fell into each others arms and held each other tightly. Mavis pushed off his chest a little and her joy turn to worry. "Is she…?" Zeref smiled and laid his palm against her cheek.

"She is fine, I promise." The tears started up again and she buried her face into his chest. When she finished sobbing, her eyes were puffy and red. She sat down next to him and leaned against his shoulder. Now was the time to get some answers. "Okay, now that we are here can you tell me what is going on?" "This guy her tells me you can fill me in on what exactly they are aiming for." Mavis hesitated for a moment. What they were planning wasn't without its risks and she worried about how he would react after she explained. "Hey" she looked up into his eyes and he smiled. You can trust me right? That pretty much did it for her. She took a deep breath and began her explanation.

"For a long time now, these people have been under the thumb of a ruthless man." "They all have their own checkered past but everything changed for them when he showed up." "It seems he was collecting souls of individuals by offering them the power of a Devil Crystal." "It seems to be an artificial form of Gray's Devilslayer magic but it comes with a price." "If at any time they disobey an order or the man feels their loyalty is in question, he can rip the power from them as well as their souls and they will die." "They've done terrible things in his name and finally they grew tired of following his orders." "One day, they rebelled against him and lost." "They thought they were done for but their leader at the time threw herself at his mercy and begged him to spare us." "The man agreed but only if she agreed to become his wife." "From that day forward they had no way of fighting." "With the threat of him hurting their leader looming over them, they had no choice but to fall in line." Zeref listened intently to her explanation. He began to feel for their enemy but it wasn't enough to convince him yet.

"Well, that explains why you decided to help them." He sighed and patted the top of her head. "You're such a softy ya know that?" Mavis blushed a little and hid her face. "That still doesn't explain what they need you for exactly."

"Allow me to continue the explanation from here Lady Mavis." Mavis nodded and Zeref turned his attention back to Akame. "Fairy Heart" "We had heard rumors of an unlimited supply of magic held by a certain member of Fairy Tail. "We did our research and found out about Lady Mavis." "It was then that we started working on a plan to rid ourselves of our captor with her help." "The curse we are all under is powerful, possibly even god-tier but it's not unbreakable." "We discovered a special magic to combat the curse in our bodies." "We could keep our powers while breaking the link to that man." "However, we needed a massive amount of magical power to sustain it and no matter how much we collected, it was never enough." "That is where Lady Mavis comes in." "We discovered that using Fairy Heart we could sustain the magic long enough to break the curse for each of us." "However, if we had just gone and asked for your help, that man would have figured us out and we would have been done for." "That was when Gray Fullbuster came to us with his plan." "We saw the opportunity and decided to use him to accomplish our goal." Zeref held up his hand to silence the man.

"I think I get the picture." "You are not our enemy." "However, Gray did have a nefarious reason for leading us here and if I'm sensing this power right, Gray and Natsu are currently locked in battle." "We will help you but first we need to stop that fight."

"What are you waiting for then?" Zeref was startled by the voice and looked around the room. On one side of the room were the Devilslayers and from the other entrance were the remaining members of Fairy Tail. The fight between them was over. Mavis suddenly gasped and took off down the corridor.

"I have to stop them," she thought. She took off as fast as her legs could take her. As she ran, she felt the familiar power surge through her and it carried her through the wind. The castle opened up into a gigantic throne room and she saw them. They were both pulling all of their power into one final attack.

FINAL DRAGON KING'S ROAR!

DEMON-GODS REQUIEM!

STOOOOOOOOP! 


	22. Power of the Great Devil

A blinding light surrounded the room as the magic collided. When the light faded, Mavis had both Natsu and Gray in her arms and all three of them were unscathed. Mavis was surrounded by a golden aura of light. The boys were shocked. They both slowly stepped out of her arms and looked at each other. Mavis went from smiling sweetly to glaring at them both.

"What the heck were you two thinking?" "You could have killed each other!" "I know you two used to fight all the time but this is ridiculous." They both just stared dumbstruck at Mavis then they turned to each other and it was quite a sight. They both started laughing uncontrollably. In an instant, it was as if none of this had ever happened and they were best friends again. Mavis couldn't help but smile. "Idiots," she thought. This peaceful moment was short lived for they were then visited by an unwelcome guest.

"There it is." "The limitless magic of the first master of Fairy Tail." "Fairy Heart"

Everyone was caught off guard by this sudden unexpected entrance. They all looked around trying to determine where the voice was coming from when he suddenly appeared from thin air. With one swift move, he sent Natsu and Gray flying across the room in opposite directions. He grasped her hand and brought it to his lips. Mavis barely had time to react as she felt her strength fading quickly.

"What is this," she breathed weakly? "My head feels heavy and i cant feel the rest of my body." She dropped to her knees as it seemed the last of her power left her. Zeref sprung into action summoning Durandal. He closed the gap between them quickly as Natsu approached from the other side. The man grinned and held out his hands. They filled with familiar light.

"What the…?"

"This is…"

It was too late to dodge so they both took the full blow from him. They struggled to their feet. The man grinned and bent down eye level with Mavis. Mavis could make out distinguishing features to his face. He seemed to be no older than her with bright crimson eyes and hair as dark as a moonless sky. His skin was pale white and cold to the touch. There was an agelessness about the way he moved and talked that she couldn't really place before. On top of his hand a tattoo of an upside down cross with an apple in the middle was placed. The picture of a serpent wrapped around his arm up to his shoulder where instead of a tail, there was another serpents head. Her vision was starting to blur now. She could hear Zeref calling out to her. The man chuckled and released his grip. He suddenly appeared in front of Akame. With one blow, he sent the man Zeref had been fearing for so long to his knees. He lifted akame by the throat with one hand effortlessly.

"Did you really think you could outsmart me Akame?" "I've known about your little plan from the start." "In fact, I was curious about the girls power as well so I let you continue your little game." "Now at last I have that power within my hands and there is no one who can stop me!" Suddenly the man was interrupted by a blast of multi-layered magic. His eyes blazed with fury as he saw the other Devilslayers aiming their attacks at him. "You dare defy me?" "I made you what you are!"

Lisse glared and signaled to the rest of them.

"Help me take him down, please." "This is our only chance." Zeref nodded and called out to the others.

"Do as she asks." "They are no longer our enemies." The others didn't hesitate. Suddenly, the man was bombarded by all kinds of different magic. Fairy Tail and Devils Bane all pooled their magic to defeat one common enemy. It was working. They could see him weakening. He fell to one knee and they were finally making progress. "Don't give in, we've almost got him!" "One" "Last" "Push"

"ENOUGH!"

The roar mixed with his overwhelming power floored all of them he stood up breathing heavily.

"You thought you could defeat me?" "I am the master of all Devilslayers." "I have lived for countless centuries." "I have collected numerous types of magic including the limitless Fairy Heart." "I am the great devil Lucifer and you will all BOW BEFORE MY POWER!" The shockwave he sent out was too powerful. None of them could stand up to it. Lucifer held out his hands and suddenly the Devilslayers all cried out in pain. "If you will not obey me than I shall take back the gift I bestowed upon you." Zeref looked around in horror as one by one the Devilslayers collapsed. He was taking their power back for himself. This was insane. He could only watch as they all fell before his eyes. His eyes fell on Mavis who had collapsed from exhaustion. His body moved without thinking. His mind had only one thought. He had to get to her. Nothing else mattered. As he closed the distance and got his arms around her, he didn't realize the feeling of death creeping up on them. Lucifer saw him take off and charged his power. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the power their way. Zeref didn't have time to dodge. All he could do was protect Mavis. He covered her body turning his back to take the brunt of the hit and closed his eyes. This is it, he thought. This is where I die. He waited for the impact but it never came. Confused, he opened his eyes to see a towering figure standing over them. Incredibly, he had stopped the attack with just one arm but then again Zeref wasn't actually surprised. After all, this man was the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail.

"Gildarts Clive"


	23. Mages Chord

Zeref couldn't help but laugh a little. It was quite ironic being saved by the man who used to be his mortal enemy.

"You've gotten pretty sloppy Spriggan King." "How could you let this amateur get the best of you?"

"I'm not exactly as strong as I used to be ya know." Gildarts sent a grin over his shoulder then turned his piercing glare on Lucifer.

"You take care of Mavis, Ill take care of this guy." Lucifer began to cackle above them.

"I have heard of you, Gildarts Clive." "I am so glad you could join us." "Now I can destroy all of Fairy Tail in one fell swoop!"

"I don't think you know who you are really dealing with." "If you did…" Gildarts magical aura began to flare up and everyone around could feel it. "YOU WOULDN'T HAVE DARED TO HURT MY FAMILY!"

Gildarts launched himself in the air at Lucifer. Lucifer charged the power of all the Devilslayers in his palm and launched it at him. Gildarts grinned and broke the magic apart with his own Crash Magic. He broke through and rose above Lucifer.

"How did you…?"

"I thought you knew all about me?" "Heres a little tip for the future." "Dont mess with Fairy Tail!"

"EMPYREAN!"

With one punch, he sent Lucifer crashing through the ground creating a deep crater with his sheer force. Anyone else would have been down for the count after that but Lucifer had absorbed too much power. "STOP MESSING WITH ME!" Gildarts landed beside him and grabbed his entire face with his hand and dragged him across the ground. Everyone started cheering him on including the other Devilslayers who seemed to have recovered from their wounds thanks to Wendy. A thought occured and Zeref looked around frantically. He locked eyes with Cana asking a silent question. Cana smiled and gave him a thumbs up. Zeref sighed with relief as Mavis began to stir in his arms. Her eyes opened slowly.

"Well hey there." Mavis tried to sit up but her head was pounding. She fell back into his arms. "Hey, dont try to get up." Wendy rushed over and began examining her. You're suffering from the effects of having your magic drained rapidly. You need to rest for now. Mavis nodded and thanked her for her concern. She then watched the battle before her.

"Wait a minute, if Gildarts is here then…" Zeref hushed her with his finger to her lips. He pointed at Cana who once again gave them a thumbs up. Mavis' heartbeat slowed once more. "Good" Wendy smiled.

"With Gildarts fighting this fight should be over soon." Zeref shook his head.

"Gildarts is stronger, but…"

"Lucifer has the power of Fairy Heart, an unlimited supply of magic which is a luxury Gildarts does not possess. It's only a matter of time before even Gildarts magic runs out." Akame called out to them.

"You must listen to me." Zeref carried Mavis over to him which she was extremely embarassed about.

"Hey!" "I can walk you know." Zeref just grinned.

"I'm aware my love." Mavis blushed and puffed out her cheeks which made Zeref laugh.

"Listen to me," Akame pleaded. "Your friends power is great but he is not invincible." "He will run out of magic and when that happens it will be too late to do this." "You can take your power back Lady Mavis." "It is originally yours so it is possible." "Your will must be strong as you call out to the magic with your heart." "You will only have one chance to do so because once he realizes what you're doing he will do everything he can to stop you." "Do you understand?" Mavis nodded.

"Okay, just tell me what I need to do." Mavis prepared to call back her magic she kneeled down and took a deep breath. Her heart began to pound and she could see the tether Akame was talking about. It was a thin line of sparkling gold twisting through the sky and connecting to Lucifer. She thought about Akame's explanation.

"It will be like a game of tug-of-war." "You will see a sliver of magic connecting your bodies." "This is called the Mages Chord" "Once your mind locks onto it, the struggle will begin." "At first he will fight you unconsciously but once you start pulling the magic to you, he is gonna feel it and he is gonna be pissed." "As I said he will do whatever he has to in order to stop you so once that pull starts to go your way, give it everything you've got."

There it was, the pull Akame talked about. She began forcing her will on the magic as Akame instructed. It was tough but little by little she started to feel his pull lessen. Finally she felt the power begin to surge through her body once more.

Lucifer was still locked in battle with Gildarts. He had to admit he didn't expect the man to give him such a hard time. He decided he needed to finish this quickly. He pooled Mavis' magic in his palm and sent it forward but something was wrong. The blast seemed less effective than before. That was impossible, unless…He concentrated on the magic and realized what was going on. His eyes searched the area frantically and he finally found her. She was taking her magic back. His eyes flared with rage. He sent Gildarts flying with a blast of Devilslayer magic and pooled the rest into a concentrated attack.

"You think you can get the best of me?" "Take this!" He sent the power rushing towards Mavis who was completely unprepared for an attack. Zeref called out to her but there was no way for him to get to her in time. Mavis noticed the massive blast coming her way but she didn't have time to dodge. A flash of silver flew past her vision. She realized what it was and cried out.

"NOOOOOOOO!"


	24. Judgement and Future

The room was filled with Mavis' scream of sorrow. The light faded from the attack and she rushed forward with tears in her eyes. She stumbled to the side of a little girl with beautiful silver hair. Her breathing was shallow as she opened her bright turquoise eyes slowly. This little girl had jumped in front of the blast meant for Mavis. She couldn't help but be proud but she scolded the child.

"Why would you do that?" "What on earth were you thinking diving in like that?"

The little girl smiled and replied weakly.

"I wasn't thinking." "My body just moved on its own." "All i knew was I wanted to stop it from hurting you." Mavis cried out again and held the little girl close.

"You stupid, stupid girl." "You cant do this to me!"

The girl smiled and held her tight.

"I had to, because I love you mommy." With these words the girls voice trailed off and her grip loosened. Her body grew limp in her arms. Mavis started to panic.

"No, no no." She laid her down flat and started performing CPR. Zeref appeared by her side and grabbed her hands. She almost attacked him but when she looked up into his eyes, the sorrow he showed stopped her in his tracks. She broke down and fell into his arms.

Lucifer watched the scene with disgust.

"Foolish child, what a waste." "It did the job though, I was able to take back the magic from that woman." He raised his voice for all of them to hear. "A pointless sacrifice, because you are all going to die here and now." Mavis heard these words and something inside of her broke. Suddenly her mind was completely numb. She pulled herself out of Zeref's arms and stood up to face Lucifer. "This will be the last time you glare at me woman." He started pulling magic into his palm like before but Mavis wasn't going to let him this time. She effortlessly pulled her magic out of his body and back into hers.

"This is my magic." "I command it no one else." "You have hurt my friends, used these people for your selfish needs and destroyed the thing I cherished most in this world. I won't let you do as you wish anymore. The magic began surrounding her as she charged one final attack. Lucifer seemed stunned for a moment but immediately began to pool the Devilslayers magic. Mavis lifted her hands to the sky and shouted the incantation.

"FAIRY LAW: FINAL JUDGEMENT!"

A blast of magic shot from her hands in a concentrated blast at Lucifer. He shot his own blast to counter hers and they collided in the middle. The two forces began to push on each other. Mavis was still weakened from the drain before as well as the shock of losing her daughter and Lucifer seemed to gain the upper hand. He let out a loud cackle that echoed around the room.

"All of that talk before and this is all you have to show for it." "You're weak and you are all going to die now!" "What…?"

The balance suddenly began to shift in Mavis' favor. She looked around and all of the Devilslayers seemed to be meditating around her. She realized they were attempting what she did earlier. They were taking their magic back. She wasn't going to let their efforts be in vain. She gave it everything she had and pushed her magic to its limits. It worked. The light magic received an overwhelming boost that blew through the dark magic and engulfed Lucifer.

The smoke cleared and the fight was over. Mavis had one. She felt all of the strength leave her body and grew dizzy. Zeref was there to catch her.

"I'm okay." "I need to see her." He nodded and helped her to where her daughter laid. She finally let it really sink in and fell to her knees sobbing. Cana came over and laid her hand on her shoulder in comfort.

"I'm sorry, I thought we left her back at the guild but she must have followed us." "I…I didn't."

"It's not your fault Cana." "I was the one who was too weak to protect her." "She was such a good girl." "She told me she didn't even think she just wanted protect her momma." The tears started flowing again and she laid her head against the child's chest. A warm feeling spread through Mavis' body and the girl's body began to glow. Mavis sat up and wiped the tears from her eyes as she watched the life returned to the girls skin. Her chest began to rise and fall gently with her little breaths. Mavis was overcome with joy as her eyes opened and she gave her a small smile. She blinked slowly but her eyes widened as she saw her mom.

"Whats wrong mommy?" "Why are you crying?" Mavis' eyes filled with tears once more but they were tears of joy. Zeref was stunned for a moment but came to his senses and wrapped his arms around his family. The room was filled with cheers and tears of joy as the turmoil finally came to an end.

Unfortunately, Lucifer had escaped. On the bright side, the Devilslayers got their magic back and it seemed their connection with Lucifer was broken somehow. As for Mavis and Zeref's daughter, it seemed she had always been born with the magic of Fairy Heart inside of her. The traumatic experience and being struck with such a concentrated form of the same magic must have awakened the power inside of her and triggered her revival. It was an eventful day but they all seemed to have come out of it remotely unscathed. This was the end of their adventure but rest assured this is not the end of the story for Nayuri Vermilion.

 _ **So I hope its clear now that this is not the end of the story. I have had this planned since the beginning. The point of this story was a prologue to introduce the daughter of Mavis and Zeref as well as the guild of Devilslayers that will now be known as Devil's Crystal. Excited yet? Keep following and I will continue the story with the future of Nayuri Vermilion**_


End file.
